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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1891-961X 

Date Available

4-26-2026

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (MSBiosyAgE)

College

Agriculture, Food and Environment

Department/School/Program

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Faculty

Tyler Barzee

Faculty

Minjae Kim

Faculty

Michael Sama

Abstract

Expanding the adoption of anaerobic digestion (AD) is limited by system instabilities caused by feedstock composition and variability. Understanding how changes in feedstock and operational parameters influence microbiome dynamics is essential for developing biology-driven strategies to improve digester stability.

Two semi-continuous reactors, an experimental and a control, operated over 39 weeks across five phases with varying feedstocks and organic loading rates. Substrate-specific enrichment cultures were developed for bioaugmentation and implemented in select phases to assess its impact. Both reactors exhibited similar performance, transitioning through periods of stability, stress, and recovery in response to operational changes. Corresponding shifts in dominant taxa were observed, highlighting the dynamic nature of the microbial communities and their capacity to reorganize to re-establish stability.

When bioaugmentation was introduced, enrichment of specific taxa in the experimental reactor indicated that the added culture slightly influenced the community composition. However, it did not result in measurable performance differences compared to the control, suggesting that its effect is limited by the existing microbial communities and environmental factors.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.124

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