Complexity of acclimatization substrate affects anaerobic digester microbial community response to organic load shocks

This study elucidated the differences in short-term response of the anaerobic digestion (AD) microbiome to organic load (OL) shocks with the difference in complexities of the acclimatization substrate used for the inoculum. Batch vial reactors were inoculated with AD sludge acclimatized to either a simple (starch & hipolypeptone) or a complex (dog food & starch) substrate, both with carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 25. Organic loads varying from 0-5 g VS/L were applied to the reactors and the corresponding changes in microbial community was studied.