Optimizing anaerobic digestion by selection of the immobilizing surface for enhanced methane production.

Maximizing methane production while maintaining an appreciable level of process stability is a crucial challenge in the anaerobic digestion industry. In this study, the role of six parameters: the type of immobilizing supports, loading rate, inoculum levels, C:N ratio, trace nutrients concentrations and mixing rate, on methane production were investigated under thermophilic conditions (55 ± 1°C) with synthetic substrate medium. The immobilizing supports were Silica gel, Sand, Molecular Sieve and Dowex Marathon beads.