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The effect of iron on anaerobic digestion

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Summary

The ability of methanogenic bacteria to adapt to high concentrations of iron was investigated using a 9l Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor fed semi-continuously with a synthetic waste containing glucose as the organic carbon source. It was found that an iron concentration of up to 5 650 mg/l, which is well in excess of previously reported toxicity levels, had no inhibitory effects on anaerobic digestion, with the exception of a decrease in biogas production. The iron precipitated out and accumulated in the sludge bed of the digester, resulting in very low concentrations of iron in the digester effluent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rhodes University, 6140, Grahamstown, South Africa

    C A Jackson-Moss & J R Duncan

  2. Leather Industries Research Institute, P O Box 185, 6140, Grahamstown, South Africa

    C A Jackson-Moss & J R Duncan

Authors
  1. C A Jackson-Moss
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  2. J R Duncan
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Jackson-Moss, C.A., Duncan, J.R. The effect of iron on anaerobic digestion. Biotechnol Lett 12, 149–154 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01022433

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01022433

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