Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production
Published on: June 15, 2014
Volatile fatty acids production from protease pretreated Chlorella biomass via anaerobic digestion
Jose Antonio Magdalena1, Elia Tomás-Pejó1, Mercedes Ballesteros1,2
1Biotechnological Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) produced via anaerobic digestion (AD) are regarded as a low cost production process of building blocks of interest for the chemical industry. In this study, VFAs and methane production were assessed in batch reactors at different temperature ranges (psychrophilic 25°C, mesophilic 35°C, thermophilic 50°C) and different pH values (5.5 and 7.5) using protease pretreated Chlorella sp. biomass as substrate. Acetic acid and propionic acid were the most abundant products (up to 73% of the total VFAs) during the first days independently of the conditions. VFAs concentration decreased over time as methane was produced after a lag phase of 7-10 days. Results showed that best conditions for VFAs production were mesophilic temperature ranges (35°C) at neutral initial pH values (7.5), and psychrophilic temperature ranges (25°C) at low initial pH values (5.5) which resulted in a conversion of the initial COD into VFAs of 48%, respectively. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:1363-1369, 2018.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid Digestion
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Volatilization
Carbohydrate Digestion
What is Monogastric Digestion?
Protein Digestion

