Microbial community development during syngas methanation in a trickle bed reactor with various nutrient sources.

Microbial community development within an anaerobic trickle bed reactor (TBR) during methanation of syngas (56% H, 30% CO, 14% CO) was investigated using three different nutrient media: defined nutrient medium (241 days), diluted digestate from a thermophilic co-digestion plant operating with food waste (200 days) and reject water from dewatered digested sewage sludge at a wastewater treatment plant (220 days). Different TBR operating periods showed slightly different performance that was not clearly linked to the nutrient medium, as all proved suitable for the methanation process. During operation, maximum syngas load was 5.