Fast production of methane by anaerobic digestion. Progress report, January 7, 1978--February 6, 1978

The sensitivity of the gas-producing methanogens to environmental change is the rationale behind the development of a procedure for determining relative rate coefficients wherein thermodynamic variables such as temperature, pressure, ionic strength, and loading are maintained constant. Preliminary data on the rate of disappearance of volatile acids shows that production of gases is strongly dependent upon mixing speed in the 50 to 150 rpm regime. More detailed experiments are being pursued to refine, amplify, and extend this initial result. Comprehensive tables on the comparative daily performance of the digesting systems are also presented.