RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 From conventional to adapted microbiomes: Promoting high short-chain fatty acid yields and productivities from agricultural waste
A1 Vicente Martínez, Marta de
A1 Tomás Pejó, Elia
A1 González Fernández, María Cristina
K1 Anaerobic fermentation
K1 Anaerobic microbiome
K1 Bio-enriched microbiome
K1 Hydraulic retention time
K1 Short chain fatty acids
K1 3308 Ingeniería y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente
AB Microbial consortia play an essential role in anaerobic fermentation (AF) devoted to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from organic wastes. AF is usually performed by a conventional anaerobic micro-biome (CM) sourced from anaerobic digestion reactors. During AF, the microbiome undergoes an adaptationperiod to the imposed operational conditions and substrate characteristics, leading to the bio-enrichment ofcertain microorganisms. This work compared the use of CM and a bio-enriched microbiome (BM) as inoculum forAF of agricultural wastes in continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 d.The novelty of this study lies in demonstrating that using a BM enhances the production rate of SCFAs whencompared to CM. BM, composed of adapted microorganisms previously working at an HRT of 10 d, allowed thehighest SCFAs productivity (1.97 g/L⋅d) and concentration (15.6 g/L). Bioconversion efficiencies achieved withBM and CM (60.1 % and 71.8 %, respectively) were among the highest reported in literature. Microbiomeanalysis revealed inoculum-driven changes in the microbial community. However, Clostridium and Megasphaera,which are involved in the hydrolysis and acidification steps of AF and are associated with acetic acid formationand chain elongation, predominated in all cases (up to 48 % of the microbial abundance within the total com-munity). These results evidenced the feasibility of operating CSTRs at an HRT of 8 d with diverse inoculumsources to maintain exceptionally high SCFA productivity and bioconversion. The outcomes also highlighted therobustness of the microbial community, even under short HRT, providing a novel strategy for AF processesoptimization.
PB Elsevier
SN 0301-4797
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83371
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83371
LA eng
NO Journal of Environmental Management, 2026, vol. 403, p. 129216
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 10-mar-2026