Relative abundance of prokaryotic communities from a two-stage EGSB pilot plant treating pig slurry under real operating conditions.

Pig slurry treatment was carried out using a two-stage EGSB pilot plant operated for 160 days during its start-up phase. Samples were collected from both reactors at the end of each operational phase of the experiment. The experiment consisted of three stages in which the hydraulic retention time was progressively reduced in order to increase the organic loading rate, optimize the start-up phase, and promote the development of anaerobic granulation