Toxicity Assessment Service in Microbial Digestion Processes

Professional Anaerobic Toxicity Analysis Service at Creative Biolabs

Anaerobic digestion is a biological treatment technology in which microorganisms can break down organic waste into biogas and organic fertilizer under anaerobic conditions. Some waste or raw materials may contain substances harmful to microorganisms, such as heavy metals, organic pollutants, or chemicals. These substances may be converted into more toxic compounds during digestion and have an inhibitory effect on microorganisms. Furthermore, during digestion, certain metabolites may accumulate in the system due to the complexity of the microbiota and the interrelationship between reaction stages. This accumulation may lead to the formation of inhibitory metabolites and negatively affect microbial activity. Therefore, the analysis of toxic substances during anaerobic digestion is crucial. By analyzing toxic substances, potential hazards are identified, and digestion efficiency is optimized to ensure an efficient and stable treatment process. Creative Biolabs has an experienced professional team with advanced analytical technologies and methods that identify potentially toxic substances that appear during the digestion process and conduct rapid and accurate analysis.

Analysis of toxicants during anaerobic digestion typically involves following steps and using different methods to detect and quantify the toxicants that may be present.

• Sample preparation

We collect waste materials or digestion products from anaerobic digestion systems as samples for analysis. The sample is then subjected to appropriate processing, such as filtration, dissolution, dilution, etc.

• Analysis of samples

• Heavy metal

Some heavy metal elements, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, etc., can potentially harm microbial activity. We analyze heavy metal elements in samples through atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

• Organic pollutants

During the anaerobic digestion process, some toxic organic pollutants may appear, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene, toluene, chloroform, etc. These organic contaminants are potentially harmful to microbial activity. The analysis of these organic pollutants usually uses methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), through sample extraction, concentration, purification and other steps to detect and quantify the levels of organic contaminants in samples to help assess their impact on anaerobic digestion systems.

• Toxicity assessment

In addition, we provide toxicity assessment tests to identify, quantify, and manage potential toxicity risks in anaerobic systems in advance, ensuring stable system operation and optimizing resource utilization.

• Toxicity effect tests

We expose anaerobic microbial communities to the environment of potentially toxic compounds and evaluate the degree of toxicity by monitoring the release of gases (such as CO₂, CH₄, etc.) produced by the microorganisms.

• Inhibition concentration tests

We analyze the maximum inhibitory concentration of harmful substances on microbial activity during anaerobic digestion to help determine the tolerance range of the system.

• Biochemical indicator measurement

We monitor ammonia nitrogen, sulfide, VOCs, and other indicators in the sample. Changes in these indicators can reflect the toxic substances present in the sample.

• Biodegradability assessment

We evaluate the impact of samples on microbial activity by measuring the biodegradability of organic matter in organic wastewater samples or sludge.

Creative Biolabs has a comprehensive Anaerobic Digestion analysis platform that can accurately and reliably detect and analyze various substances that may be produced during the anaerobic digestion process. Such as Biomethane, Digestate Impurity, Organic Matter, toxic substances, etc. Please contact us if you happen to need professional toxicity analysis services, we are a reliable partner.

Published data

Bilge water (BW) contains seawater and a mixture of various wastes, such as diesel, organic solvents, metals, and solid particles. These wastes increase the suspended solids in the water but also inhibit the microbial flora, thereby threatening the marine ecological environment. Therefore, it is necessary to use a variety of treatment methods to treat BW. In this study, the authors combined the microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) technology with anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) for the first time to conduct biodegradation experiments on undiluted real BW. Sodium formate and acetic acid were used as co-substrates, and the methane generation capacity was evaluated by anaerobic toxicity assay (ATA). The results showed that BW had a more significant effect on acetic bacteria than hydrogenotrophic methanogens, and the dilution of BW could reduce its inhibitory effect and promote biodegradation. The combined application of MEC and AGS shows a promising BW treatment technology that is better than the use of AGS alone. This technology is expected to be used for wastewater treatment with high organic load and biogas production in the future.

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of MEC-AGS coupling technology.^{1, 2}

FAQs

Q1: What impact might toxic substances in anaerobic digestion systems have on treatment efficiency?

A1: Toxic substances may cause impairment of microbial activity, affecting wastewater degradation rates and system stability. Our analysis will help identify these impacts and provide solutions accordingly.

Q2: What specific methods will you use to detect potentially toxic substances?

A2: We will combine biological detection methods, cytotoxicity testing, and other related technologies to comprehensively evaluate the toxic substances present in the anaerobic digestion system to ensure the normal operation of the system.

Q3: What kind of improvement suggestions would you provide for the detected harmful substances?

A3: Based on the analysis results, we will provide specific improvement suggestions, which may involve adjustment of operating conditions, control of harmful substance emissions, system optimization plans, etc. These recommendations are designed to mitigate toxic effects and ensure the stable and efficient operation of anaerobic digestion systems.

Customer Review

References

1. Gatidou, Georgia, et al. "Microbial electrolysis cell coupled with anaerobic granular sludge: A novel technology for real bilge water treatment." Chemosphere 296 (2022): 133988.
2. Under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.

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