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Updated: Sep 11, 2025

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Humic-metal complexes as dominant anaerobic digestion inhibitor: Multidimensional diagnostic framework for
Qi Song1, Yongbo Yu2, Xiankai Wang3
1State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Urban Pollution Conrol Engineering Research Center Co., Ltd., 588 Miyun Road, Shanghai 200092, China.
Abstract:
This study investigates a 16,200-tonne full-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plant facing poor organic reduction and limited biogas recovery. Biochemical methane potential tests using active exogenous sludge confirmed that the inefficiency was due to intrinsic properties of the sludge rather than insufficient microbial activity. Alkaline thermal hydrolysis increased methane yield by 69 %, whereas the maximum output remained low (76 mL CH4/g VS), suggesting heightened inhibition. Further diagnostics based on the detection of physical properties, biological structures, material composition, and microbial communities were applied to localize root causes. Results revealed that humic-metal complexes were the primary limiting factor, along with stable biomass microstructures and residual facultative anaerobes. Two improvement strategies were proposed: upstream source control of flocculants and lignocellulosic inputs, and downstream valorization of the humic-rich digestate. This study presents a systematic diagnostic framework that identifies humic-metal complexes as dominant inhibitors of AD, providing practical guidance for large-scale AD plants.
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