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Anaerobic degradation of volatile fatty acids at different sulphate concentrations

  • Environmental Biotechnology
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Abstract

The effect of sulfate on the anaerobic breakdown of mixtures of acetate, propionate and butyrate at three different sulfate to fatty acid ratios was studied in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. Sludge characteristics were followed with time by means of sludge activity tests and by enumeration of the different physiological bacterial groups. At each sulfate concentration acetate was completely converted into methane and CO2, and acetotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria were not detected. Hydrogenotrophic methanogenic bacteria and hydrogenotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria were present in high numbers in the sludge of all reactors. However, a complete conversion of H2 by sulfate reducers was found in the reactor operated with excess sulfate. At higher sulfate concentrations, oxidation of propionate by sulfate-reducing bacteria became more important. Only under sulfate-limiting conditions did syntrophic propionate oxidizers out-compete propionate-degrading sulfate reducers. Remarkably, syntrophic butyrate oxidizers were well able to compete with sulfate reducers for the available butyrate, even with an excess of sulfate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Technology, Agricultural University Wageningen, P.O. Box 81 29, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    A. Visser, F. van der Zee & G. Lettinga

  2. Department of Microbiology, Centre of Biomolecular Sciences, Agricultural University of Wageningen, Hesselink van Suchtelenweg 4, 6703 CT, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    I. Beeksma & A. J. M. Stams

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  1. A. Visser
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  2. I. Beeksma
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  3. F. van der Zee
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  4. A. J. M. Stams
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  5. G. Lettinga
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Correspondence to: A. Visser

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Visser, A., Beeksma, I., van der Zee, F. et al. Anaerobic degradation of volatile fatty acids at different sulphate concentrations. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 40, 549–556 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175747

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175747

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