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Published: 1977

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An experimental program was conducted to evaluate the effect of reactor type on methane production. This study showed that if a balanced population of organisms can be maintained in the initial stage, multi-stage fermentation is more efficient than a complex mix system. However, when the system is stressed, failure in the multi-stage system is more rapid. If the objective is to maximize the conversion of solids to methane, a staged system will produce more methane per unit volume of reactor. If the objective is to maximize the methane production per unit volume of reactor, a single stage complete-mix reactor operating near the critical retention time is required.