Osmoprotectants protect methanogenic microbiome during ammonia toxicity events in continuous processes

This study is using, for the first time, different osmoprotectants to counteract ammonia toxicity in continuous anaerobic reactors. The anaerobic microbiome osmoadaptation process and its role to the methanogenic recovery are also assessed. Three osmoprotectants (i.e., glycine betaine, MgCl2 and KCl) were respectively introduced in continuous reactors at high ammonia levels, namely RGB, RMg, RK, while a control reactor (RCtrl) was also used. After ammonia was introduced, the RGB, RMg, RK and RCtrl suffered 39.0%, 36.6%, 39.9% and 36.2% methane production loss, respectively. Osmoprotectants addition recovered significantly methane production by up to 68.9%, 54.3% and 32.2% for RGB, RMg and RK, respectively contrary to RCtrl, where production increased only by 13.6%. The recovered methane production was maintained in RGB and RMg for at least 60 days, even after the addition of osmoprotectants was stopped, due to the formed methanogenic microbiota by osmoadaptation process, with Methanoculleus sp. as the dominant species.