Characterisation of soluble microbial products (SMPs) in anaerobic bioreactors

The primary aim of this research was to develop a variety of methods for the specific characterisation of soluble microbial products (SMPs) that are produced during substrate metabolism or cell lysis and degradation in anaerobic treatment. In biological wastewater treatment processes, the analysis of metabolic compounds that are produced during the process is critical to monitoring the performance of system; these soluble products directly affect process efficiency (removal of oxidizable compounds) and quality of the effluent after treatment, and are also one of the major causes of fouling in membrane bioreactors. However, analysing them is challenging due to their inherently dilute nature (sub ppm level) and heterogeneity. In this PhD project, the chemical composition of SMPs produced during the anaerobic condition will be identified and quantified using both sophisticated analytical instruments, e.g. GC-MS, and conventional chemical analyses. Firstly, an analytical methodology for low molecular weight SMPs (