Functions of bacteria and archaea participating in the bioconversion of organic waste for methane production

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a widely applied technology for treating organic wastes to generate renewable energy in the form of biogas. The effectiveness of AD process depends on many factors, among which the most important is the presence of active and healthy microbial community in the anaerobic digesters, which needs to be explored. However, the deciphering of microbial populations and their functions during the AD process of different materials is still incomplete, which restricts the understanding of its long-term performance under different operational conditions. This review describes the type, morphology, functions, and specific growth conditions of commonly found hydrolytic, acidogenic, acetogenic bacteria, and archaea during the AD process. The effects of microbes on the performance and stability of the digestion process are also presented. Furthermore, the article offers a deep understanding of the AD management strategies for the enhancement of methane production and the efficiency of the energy conversion process of various organic wastes.

Keywords: Acetogenic bacteria; Acidogenic bacteria; Anaerobic digestion; Hydrolytic bacteria; Methanogens; Organic wastes.