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2040776 
Journal Article 
The effect of pharmaceuticals on the kinetics of methanogenesis and acetogenesis 
Fountoulakis, MS; Stamatelatou, K; Lyberatos, G 
2008 
Yes 
Bioresource Technology
ISSN: 0960-8524
EISSN: 1873-2976 
99 
15 
7083-7090 
English 
18280143 
WOS:000257367600043 
In this study, the widely used anaerobic digestion model (ADM1) was used in order to simulate the inhibition of three pharmaceuticals, propranolol hydrochloride, ofloxacin and diclofenac sodium, on two groups of microorganisms, acetogens and acetoclastic methanogens, the most sensitive microorganisms groups involved in the anaerobic digestion process. The specific maximum consumption rate and saturation constant of acetate and propionate degraders were estimated through fitting the model to experimental data taken from continuous and batch experiments. A modified non-competitive inhibition function was used, and the inhibition constants were estimated using data from Batch experiments conducted at various concentrations of pharmaceuticals using enriched cultures with propionate and acetate degraders. It was found that propranolol hydrochloride was the most inhibitory pharmaceutical to both microorganisms groups. 
pharmaceuticals; inhibition; ADMI; acetogenesis; methanogenesis