Respirometry system for anaerobic biochemical methane production - Monitoring and Testing

Anaerobic biodegradation tests – often referred to as Biochemical Methane Production (BMP) tests – involve addition of known amounts of a chemical or wastewater to anaerobic cultures. The quantity of methane production – relative to that from a control – indicates the biodegradation potential. This case study shows methane production for a Control reactor and three test reactors that were operated at 20-, 30- and 45-day retention times and received three doses of industrial wastewater. The tests indicate that culture acclimation was required and incomplete methane production occurred for the lower SRT reactors.