Next Article in Journal
Representative Hydrogen Sampling at Hydrogen Refuelling Stations: Interplay of Sampling Strategy and Station Parameters
Previous Article in Journal
Quantitative Indicators of the Circular Economy for Covered Pond-Type Bioreactors in Tropical Regions: Application to a Large-Scale Pig Farming System
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Clean Technol.
Volume 8
Issue 3
10.3390/cleantechnol8030089
cleantechnol-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under High Sodium Propionate Concentrations in Semi-Continuous Conditions: Inhibition and Microbial Community Shifts

by
Joel Awinzure Agumah
1,
Xiaojun Liu
1,*,
Laura André
2,
Camille Auneau
3,
Sophie Thibault
3,
Chrystelle Bureau
3,
Sabrina Guérin
4,
Vincent Rocher
4,
Carlyne Lacroix
4,
Olivier Chapleur
3,
Ariane Bize
3,
Céline Roose-Amsaleg
5,
André Pauss
1 and
Thierry Ribeiro
1,*
1
Université de Technologie de Compiègne, ESCOM, TIMR, Alliance Sorbonne Université, 60200 Compiègne, France
2
Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, ECLORE-ULR 7519, Rue Pierre Waguet, BP 30313, 60026 Beauvais, France
3
Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, PROSE, 92160 Antony, France
4
Direction Innovation SIAAP—Service Public Pour L’assainissement Francilien, 82 Avenue Kléber, 92700 Colombes, France
5
CNRS, ECOBIO-UMR 6553, Université Rennes 1, 35000 Rennes, France
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Clean Technol. 2026, 8(3), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol8030089
Submission received: 10 April 2026 / Revised: 21 May 2026 / Accepted: 1 June 2026 / Published: 9 June 2026
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Highlights

What are the main findings?
  1. Sewage sludge digesters tolerated sodium propionate concentrations up to 20.3 mmol·L−1 (1.5 g·L−1 propionic acid equivalent) in semi-continuous reactors.
  2. A sodium propionate loading of 135.3 mmol·L−1 (10 g·L−1 propionic acid equivalent) caused VFA accumulation (>4.5 g·L−1), reduced methane production by approximately 40%, and altered microbial community structure.
What are the implication of the main findings?
  1. The identified propionate/propionic acid inhibition thresholds can support improved monitoring and management of anaerobic sludge digesters. The switch to batch mode (stopping feeding and heating) could be an interesting strategy for the system stressed by propionate to recover.
  2. The observed microbial shifts (Methanothrix, Methanobrevibacter, Pelotomaculum, and Methanosarcina) may provide early biological indicators of propionate stress and digester recovery.

Abstract

The accumulation of intermediate products, particularly volatile fatty acids (VFAs) like propionic acid (HPr) or its dissociated form, can inhibit biogas production during anaerobic digestion (AD) at low concentrations. Knowledge about the response of microorganisms to VFA inhibition can help control the digesters. In this study, we aimed to determine how sodium propionate (NaPr) inhibits the AD of municipal sewage sludge by identifying shifts in the microbial community. Four 5 L reactors were operated in semi-continuous mode using sewage sludge and then loaded with different levels of NaPr. The reactors operated at 37 °C with two hydraulic retention times. The results show that there was no apparent inhibition of biogas production at NaPr loading up to 20.3 mmol·L−1. However, moderate inhibition was observed at 81 mmol·L−1, corresponding to an approximate 10% decrease in methane production, while a ≈40% decrease in methane production was observed at 135.3 mmol·L−1. Sequencing analysis revealed that the community composition was dominated by Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Cloacimonadota, with Halobacterota and Euryarchaeota as the main archaeal groups. PERMANOVA revealed incubation time as the primary driver of community structure, followed by NaPr concentration. Elevated NaPr levels resulted in a decline in Methanothrix and Methanobrevibacter and promoted distinct syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria (SPOB).
Keywords: anaerobic digestion; sewage sludge; inhibition; volatile fatty acids; biogas; microbial community anaerobic digestion; sewage sludge; inhibition; volatile fatty acids; biogas; microbial community

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Agumah, J.A.; Liu, X.; André, L.; Auneau, C.; Thibault, S.; Bureau, C.; Guérin, S.; Rocher, V.; Lacroix, C.; Chapleur, O.; et al. Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under High Sodium Propionate Concentrations in Semi-Continuous Conditions: Inhibition and Microbial Community Shifts. Clean Technol. 2026, 8, 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol8030089

AMA Style

Agumah JA, Liu X, André L, Auneau C, Thibault S, Bureau C, Guérin S, Rocher V, Lacroix C, Chapleur O, et al. Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under High Sodium Propionate Concentrations in Semi-Continuous Conditions: Inhibition and Microbial Community Shifts. Clean Technologies. 2026; 8(3):89. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol8030089

Chicago/Turabian Style

Agumah, Joel Awinzure, Xiaojun Liu, Laura André, Camille Auneau, Sophie Thibault, Chrystelle Bureau, Sabrina Guérin, Vincent Rocher, Carlyne Lacroix, Olivier Chapleur, and et al. 2026. "Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under High Sodium Propionate Concentrations in Semi-Continuous Conditions: Inhibition and Microbial Community Shifts" Clean Technologies 8, no. 3: 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol8030089

APA Style

Agumah, J. A., Liu, X., André, L., Auneau, C., Thibault, S., Bureau, C., Guérin, S., Rocher, V., Lacroix, C., Chapleur, O., Bize, A., Roose-Amsaleg, C., Pauss, A., & Ribeiro, T. (2026). Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge Under High Sodium Propionate Concentrations in Semi-Continuous Conditions: Inhibition and Microbial Community Shifts. Clean Technologies, 8(3), 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol8030089

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop