In the last couple of years, the researchers involved in the research line Microbiome in Anaerobic digesters that Ass.Prof. Marta Carballa leads, have been studying the alterations of the microbial community of anaerobic digestion during organic overloads. The group has already demonstrated that microbiome of anaerobic reactors fed with sewage can show alterations faster than operational parameters as result of a sudden increase in the reactor load (Read the article:The time response of anaerobic digestion microbiome during an organic loading rate shock )
In a next step, the team has studied how overloading events during anaerobic digestion affect microbial interactions. This study has been just published in Chemospher journal ( Read here the article). The sudden increase of load triggered the temporal succession of functionally redundant microorganisms, mostly different types of fermentative bacteria, probably driven by niche specialization as the reactor´s environment changes with acidification. One of the most surprising observations was the initial promotion of the methanogen Methanosaeta sp., which thrived during the first phases of overloading, as this methanogen is thought to be highly sensitive to overloads. This knowledge will aid in the development of anaerobic digestion management strategies based on the microbial communities responsible of the process.
