Biogas production from high solids digestion of Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum typhoideum: Suitable conditions and microbial communities.

Effects of organic loading rates (OLRs), temperatures and effluent recirculation rates on biogas production from Giant Juncao Grass (GJG) using pilot-scale semi-continuously fed CSTRs were investigated. Thermophilic reactors could be stably operated at OLR up to 5.0 kg VS m d, while damaged process stability was detected in mesophilic reactors at OLR of 4.

Microbial community assembly, theory and rare functions.

Views of community assembly have traditionally been based on the contrasting perspectives of the deterministic niche paradigm and stochastic neutral models. This study sought to determine if we could use empirical interventions conceived from a niche and neutral perspective to change the diversity and evenness of the microbial community within a reactor treating wastewater and to see if there was any associated change in the removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). The systematic removal of EDCs and micropollutants from biological treatment systems is a major challenge for environmental engineers.

Systematic study of the effect of operating variables on reactor performance and microbial diversity in laboratory-scale activated sludge reactors.

Biological treatment processes are "complex systems" where many different kinds of microbes grow and interact in a dynamic manner. Understanding the relationship between microbial diversity and bioreactor performance could facilitate the optimisation of bioreactor design and enable the solution of bioreactor-related problems. However, systematic studies of the effects of operating variables on microbial diversity and reactor performance are rare.