Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Fe° enhanced acetification of propionate and granulation of sludge in acidogenic reactor
Yang Li1, Yaobin Zhang, Xusheng Meng
1Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
Abstract:
Acidogenic reactors commonly operated at short hydraulic retention times (HRT) are liable to cause low chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and acidogenic efficiency especially under fluctuating feed. Granular sludge as an efficient form for anaerobic microbial community to resist shocks in methanogenic reactors has been widely investigated, which however was less focused in acidogenic reactors. Adding Fe(0) in an acidogenic reactor with propionate as the substrate operated at HRT of 2 h was found to enhance the propionate decomposition and sludge granulation in this study. When increasing the organic load and decreasing pH in the feed, the propionate conversion and COD removal in the reactor with Fe(0) were higher than those in the control reactor. The sludge granulation was well developed in this reactor. Fe(0) advanced the growth of homoacetogenic bacteria that consumed the hydrogen produced in acetification of propionate. The propionate-oxidizing bacteria and homoacetogenic bacteria grew together in the sludge to accelerate hydrogen transfer, which was an important reason for the enhanced propionate decomposition and sludge granulation in the acidogenesis.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Microbes and Methanogenesis
Production of Organic Acids
Acid Mine Drainage
Fates of Pyruvate
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...
Fermentation
Fermentation is a type of metabolic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen, where organic molecules such as glucose are broken down to produce energy. During this process, the...
Microbial Fermentation

