INFLUENCE OF THE ACETATE CONCENTRATION ON THE RECOVERY-TIME OF A PERTURBED ANAEROBIC DIGESTER

Imbalance in a fluidized bed reactor was simulated by injecting or mixed acetate and propionate salts into the digester. Por acetate levels higher than 13-15 mM, propionate degradation was inhibited. In these cases, the time required by the system to reduce the propionate concentration up to steady-state values was approximately 60-70 % higher than the recovery time found in the cases in which this inhibition was not present.