Assesment of the methane production capability of a sludge and the performance of operational conditions
Specific Methanogenic Activity (SMA) test evaluates the anaerobic sludge capability to convert an organic substrate into methane. The test is used to calculate the maximum methanogenic potential, which represents the maximum capacity of a reactor, operating under ideal conditions, to convert volatile fatty acids into methane. The test is also used to evaluate the sludge activity during different operational steps of an anaerobic system, to select an adapted sludge as inoculum, to follow the changes in sludge activities due to a possible build-up of inert materials, to estimate maximum applicable loading rate to certain sludge or to evaluate batch kinetic parameters.
AMPTS® III and AMPTS® III Light are well-recognised and the recommended laboratory platforms according to the German norm VDI 4630 and several international laboratory protocols for conducting biochemical methane potential or biomethane potential (BMP), specific methanogenic activity (SMA), residual gas potential (RGP) and biohydrogen potential analyses.
