Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Continuously-stirred Anaerobic Digester to Convert Organic Wastes into Biogas: System Setup and Basic Operation
Published on: July 13, 2012
Deterministic processes drive the microbial assembly during the recovery of an anaerobic digester after a severe
Laëtitia Cardona1, Laurent Mazéas1, Olivier Chapleur1
1Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, PRocédés biOtechnologiques au Service de l'Environnement, 92761 Antony, France.
Abstract:
Anaerobic digestion allows to produce sustainable energy but the microbial community involved in this process is highly sensitive to perturbations. In this study, a longitudinal experiment was performed in two sets of triplicate bioreactors to evaluate the influence of ammonia addition on AD microbiome and its recovery. Zeolite was added in three reactors to mitigate the inhibition. Microbial dynamics were monitored with 16S rRNA sequencing at 15 time points. Dominant methanogenic pathways were determined with gas isotopic signature analysis. Zeolite addition did not enable to reduce ammonia inhibition or improve the process under the conditions tested. In all the bioreactors, ammonia inhibition sharply decreased the methane production but the process could restart thanks to the increase of hydrogenotrophic archaea and syntrophic bacteria. Interestingly, similar behaviour was observed in the six reactors. Neutral modelling and null model were used and showed that a deterministic process governed the recovery of AD microbiome after failure.
Related Concept Videos
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Stringent Response in E. coli
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Amino Acid Catabolism
Other Stress Responses in Bacteria
Microbial Nutrition

