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Enhanced Methanogenic Degradation of Propionate/Butyrate with Conductive Additives
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- Author / Creator
- Barua, Sajib
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Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) is the recently discovered microbial syntropy between bacteria and methanogens in anaerobic digestion process that can accelerate the syntrophic conversion of various reduced organic compounds into methane through cell-to-cell electron transfer coupled with the reduction of carbon dioxide. DIET-based syntropy can occur via conductive pili and outer membrane c-type cytochromes, or through the addition of various conductive materials. In recent years, understanding and engineering DIET-based syntropy have emerged in improving methanogenesis kinetics to increase the robustness and decrease the footprint of the anaerobic digester. This study examined the effectiveness of conductive carbon fiber (CF) and magnetite doped granular activated carbon (GAC) in promoting DIET during syntrophic methanogenic conversion of propionate/butyrate. Carbon fiber enhanced specific methane production (mL-CH4/g CODInitial) by 2.4 folds than the unamended control bioreactor from propionate and butyrate as co-substrate, whereas propionate accumulated in the control. Various electroactive bacteria were abundant in the carbon fibers-amended bioreactor, while various fermentative bacteria were abundant in control. Likewise, magnetite doped-GAC particles stimulated specific methane production (mL-CH4/g CODInitial) by 1.5 times the unamended control bioreactor from propionate as sole substrate. Moreover, magnetite doped GAC performed better than GAC. In a nutshell, this study first demonstrates that CF and magnetite doped GAC particles can significantly stimulate methanogenesis rate through DIET based syntropy in the anaerobic digester.
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- Graduation date
- Spring 2019
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Science
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- License
- Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.