Effect Of Volatile Fatty Acids Research Articles

Effects of volatile fatty acids on soil properties, microbial communities, and volatile metabolites in wheat rhizosphere of loess

The Loess Plateau faces critical challenges due to soil degradation. In this context, using volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from biowaste as readily available soil conditioners offer promising sustainable solutions to restore soil quality and enhance agricultural productivity. The study examined how applying different VFAs as soil amendments in arid and high-salt loess soil affected wheat plant growth, soil properties, soil microbial community diversity, volatile metabolites in soil and root exudate. The non-targeted analysis was used to identify and classify 49 soil volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 63 root exudate VOCs to seek further specific functional volatile metabolites and explore the interaction mechanisms among plants, microorganisms, and soil. The results showed that acetic acid increased soil EC by 21.0% and decreased soil organic matter by 14.4%. Propionic acid reduced soil organic matter by 14.7%. Valeric acid increased the average root diameter by 15.1%. Further analysis revealed that rhizosphere bacterial communities, but not fungal communities, showed greater sensitivity to VFAs application. Bacterial α diversity was significantly reduced in the acetic acid treatment. The main contribution of VOCs in soil with acetic acid and propionic acid applications was alcohol, and its relative percentage was 50.06% and 43.54%, respectively, which has a significantly negative correlation with the α diversity of soil bacteria. On the contrary, the content of acylamides in soil with butyric acid and valeric acid applications was higher and significantly positively correlated with the average root diameter. It was concluded that soil microbial communities respond rapidly to acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric, and valeric acid applications by adjusting the concentration of alcohols and acylamides as secondary metabolites, respectively. This study revealed the close relationship between VFAs application type and soil properties, soil microbial community diversity, soil VOCs, and root exudates VOCs. VFAs derived from biowaste will contribute to restoring loess soil quality and achieving sustainable agriculture.

Evaluation of the additive effects of volatile fatty acids and moderate heat treatment for enhancing the inactivation of vegetative cells and spores of Clostridium perfringens by flow cytometry

ObjectivesClostridium perfringens is a well-known spore-forming bacterium that can resist the environment. A mixture of volatile fatty acids or thermal treatments can interact with these bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different volatile fatty acid concentrations and moderate heat treatment on Clostridium perfringens sporulation. MethodsA pure culture of Clostridium perfringens type A in Duncan Strong medium was treated with a mixture of volatile fatty acids at several concentrations. A thermal treatment was also tested. To evaluate the effects, a double staining method was employed, and treatments on Clostridium perfringens were analysed by flow cytometry. ResultsModerate heat treatment destroyed vegetative forms but had no effect on sporulating forms. Volatile fatty acids combined with moderate heat treatment inhibited Clostridium perfringens sporulation. ConclusionsThe use of flow cytometry as an original method for evaluating the treatment of Clostridium perfringens is of interest because of its simplicity, short time to obtain results, and the level of information provided on the microbial population (impact on metabolism). A combination of mild treatments (moderate heat treatment + volatile fatty acids) to decrease the Clostridium perfringens concentration when these bacteria sporulate is a very promising finding for inhibiting Clostridium perfringens propagation.

Volatile fatty acids changed the microbial community during feammox in coastal saline-alkaline paddy soil.

In order to indicate the effect of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on the characteristics of feammox and dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (DIRB) in paddy soils, different VFAs were selected with paddy soils for anaerobic cultivation. Five treatments were set up, respectively, only adding N and both adding N and C (formate + NH4+ (Fo-N), acetate + NH4+ (Ac-N), propionate + NH4+ (Pr-N), and butyrate + NH4+ (Bu-N)) treatments. The concentration of Fe(II), Fe(III), NH4+, and VFAs was assessed within 45 d, and the bacterial community was determined after cultivation. The oxidation rates of NH4+ were the highest in N treatment, while it was the lowest in Fo-N treatment. Under the four C treatments, the consumption of NH4+ and Fe(III) was the fastest in Pr-N treatment, which was consumed by 31.2% and 76.3%, respectively. Different VFAs selected for distinct DIRB. Compared with N treatment, Ac-N and Bu-N treatment increased the relative abundance of DIRB, such as Geobacter and Clostridia, which increased the consumption of VFAs during incubation. Overall, VFAs, especially formate, could promote Fe(III) reduction and compete with the feammox process for the electron acceptors to decrease the feammox reaction, and prohibited soil NH4+ loss. Therefore, VFAs, which was released from organic fertilizer, could reduce NH4+ loss in feammox process of saline-alkaline paddy soils.

Influence mechanism of aqueous organic components on the hydrochar formation reaction during the biomass hydrothermal carbonization wastewater recycling

Reusing the wastewater byproduct of the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process as a water source to prepare biomass slurry feedstock for the next HTC run provides a feasible wastewater disposal method. However, the influence of various organic components contained in the hydrothermal wastewater (HW) on the formation routes and characteristics of hydrochar is yet to be clarified. In this study, five representative organic components, phenol, acetic acid, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), and 2,5-hexanedione, were selected to study their effects on the hydrochar fuel characteristics and HW components, based on which the hydrochar formation pathways in an organic wastewater environment were proposed. The phenol, furfural, and 5-HMF contained in the wastewater source could polymerize with the active intermediates from biomass degradation, thereby resulting in an increase in the hydrochar mass yield (HCY) by 1.13%–7.07% and an increase in the higher heating value of hydrochar to 27.36 MJ/kg. In contrast, the acetic acid and 2,5-hexanedione contained in the wastewater source resulted in a decrease in HCY, probably because of the catalytic effects of volatile fatty acids on biomass hydrolysis. Moreover, wastewater sources with all five organic components increased the energy recovery efficiency from biomass to a high level of 97.28% under the two effects of deep polymerization and catalytic carbonization.

Abrogating the inhibitory effects of volatile fatty acids and ammonia in overloaded food waste anaerobic digesters via the supplementation of nano-zero valent iron modified biochar

The effects of different recovery strategies on inhibited anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste (FW) was examined in this study, with the finding that dosing pine woodchip biochar could reverse the effect of volatile fatty acids (VFA) inhibition (mainly propionic acid) and yielded 105.55% more methane than the control. The addition of nano-zerovalent iron (nZVI) promoted the generation of VFA while causing a slight inhibition of the methanogens initially. In due time, the nZVI digester was able to recover and eventually produced 192.22% more methane compared to the control. Finally, nZVI-modified biochar was proved to be able to avoid the inhibitory effects brought about by the nanoparticles. The results indicated reduced dosage requirements as compared to using pristine pine woodchip biochar and accumulated 204.84% more methane than the control. The introduction of nZVI-biochar also promoted the growth of Methanosarcina species methanogens, which can perform direct-interspecies electron transfer. While all the recovery strategies using the additives were feasible, the results suggested that the use of modified biochar holds great potential as a significantly lower amount of amendment is required for the recovery of the inhibited AD system.

Effect of volatile fatty acids on adipocyte differentiation in bovine dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells in vitro.

Here, we established dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells from mature bovine adipocytes and then examined the effects of volatile fatty acids on the differentiation of these DFAT cells into adipocytes in vitro. When mature adipocytes were isolated from bovine adipose tissue and cultured using the ceiling culture method, they were dedifferentiated into fibroblast-like cells without lipid droplets. These fibroblast-like cells, termed bovine DFAT (b-DFAT) cells, actively proliferated. After adipogenic induction, increased expression of adipocyte-specific genes occurred in b-DFAT cells and they redifferentiated into adipocytes with an accumulation of lipid droplets in their cytoplasm. The effects of volatile fatty acids on adipocyte differentiation in b-DFAT cells were also examined. Specifically, acetate, butyrate, and propionate added to adipogenic induction medium significantly enhanced the adipogenesis of b-DFAT cells compared with that observed in control cells; the addition of 10-3 mol of acetate enhanced adipogenesis of b-DFAT cells to the greatest extent. These results suggest that b-DFAT cells derived from bovine mature adipocytes are appropriate for the study of bovine adipocyte differentiation and that the optimum concentration treatment of acetate, a major energy source for ruminants, promotes adipogenesis of b-DFAT cells in vitro.

The effect of volatile fatty acids on the growth and lipid properties of two microalgae strains during batch heterotrophic cultivation

To overcome the bottlenecks of waste resource utilization and energy shortage that restrict the commercial production of microalgae biodiesel, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) derived from activated sludge were used as the sole carbon source to culture oleaginous microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa FACHB-1216 and Scenedesmus quadricauda FACHB-1297 under the mixotrophic and heterotrophic cultivation. Four VFAs ratios (acetic acids (AA): propionic acids (PA): butyric acids (BA)) were tested to determine the effects and mechanisms of the VFAs on the two microalgae. The highest lipid content (29.54%) and lipid production (71.10 mg L−1) were achieved by S. quadricauda at the VFAs ratio of 6: 1: 3 under heterotrophic condition, with 46.27% and 67.52% removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. The assimilation efficiency of AA was the highest at 73.37%, followed by that of PA and BA. For C. pyrenoidosa, VFAs promoted the rapid reproduction within 2 days under the heterotrophic condition at different initial inoculation densities. At the optimal VFA ratio, algae achieved the highest biomass concentration (0.14 ± 0.02 g L−1), with a specific growth rate of 0.91 d−1 and biomass productivity of 125.17 mg L−1 d−1. The removal rates of total nitrogen and phosphorus were 47.03% and 74.40%, respectively, and the assimilation efficiency of AA was the best (61.06%). High AA assimilation efficiency under the heterotrophic condition was beneficial for the algal growth and lipid accumulation. These results simultaneously produced microalgae-based bioenergy and recycled VFAs in anaerobically digested effluent.

Insights into Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Lignocellulosic Biomass (Sugar Beet By-Products) and Animal Manure in Long-Term Semi-Continuous Assays

Biogas production through anaerobic digestion has proven to be one of the most important pillars of the transition into the circular economy concept, a sustainable approach for biorefinery. This work aims to extend and improve knowledge in the anaerobic co-digestion of complementary substrates, given insights into wastes biodegradability and the influence of manure composition on the anaerobic process stability. Anaerobic co-digestion of sugar beet by-products with two kinds of animal manure (pig and cow) was investigated in semi-continuous assays, analyzing both common and non-classical parameters. Co-digestion with manure clearly mitigated the inhibitory effect of volatile fatty acids at high organic loading rates, leading to increases in methane production by 70% and 31% in comparison with individual digestion of sugar beet by-products, for co-digestion with pig and cow manure, respectively. Non-classical parameters could give more insight into the coupling/uncoupling of the anaerobic digestion phases and the involved microorganisms. Indirect parameters indicated that the process failure at the critical organic loading rates was mainly due to methanogenesis inhibition in the co-digestion with pig manure, while in co-digestion with cow manure or in individual digestion of sugar beet by-products, both hydrolysis–acidogenesis and methanogenesis phases were affected. Biomethanation degree refers to the maximum methane potential of organic wastes. Sugar beet by-products required a long digestion-time to reach high biodegradability. However, short digestion-times for co-digestion assays led to a high biomethanation degree.

Effects of volatile fatty acids on microalgae growth and N, P consumption in the advanced treatment process of digested food waste leachate by mixotrophic microalgae

Effects of volatile fatty acids on microalgae growth and N, P consumption in the advanced treatment process of digested food waste leachate by mixotrophic microalgae

Effects of volatile fatty acids in biohydrogen effluent on biohythane production from palm oil mill effluent under thermophilic condition

Background: Biohydrogen effluent contains a high concentration of volatile fatty acid (VFA) mainly as butyric, acetic, lactic and propionic acids. The presence of various VFAs (mixture VFAs) and their cooperative effects on two-stage biohythane production need to be further studied. The effect of VFA concentrations in biohydrogen effluent of palm oil mill effluent (POME) on methane yield in methane stage of biohythane production was investigated. Results: The methane yield obtained in low VFA loading (0.9 and 1.8 g/L) was 15–20% times greater than that of high VFA loading (3.6 and 4.7 g/L). Butyric acid at high concentrations (8 g/L) has the individual significantly negative effect the methane production process ( P P Geobacillus sp., Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum , Methanoculleus thermophilus and Methanothermobacter delfuvii resulting in low methane yield. Conclusion: Preventing the high concentration of butyric acid, and propionic acid in the hydrogenic effluent could enhance methane production in two-stage anaerobic digestion for biohythane production. Normal 0 false false false ES-CL X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Tabla normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:ES-CL;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE TH

Response of plasma glucagon-like peptide-2 to feeding pattern and intraruminal administration of volatile fatty acids in sheep

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), a gut peptide secreted by enteroendocrine L cells, has recently been identified as a key regulator of intestinal growth and absorptive function in ruminants. However, reports on GLP-2 secretion are few, and more information regarding its secretion dynamics is needed. In this study, two experiments were conducted to elucidate the daily rhythm of GLP-2 secretion in response to feeding regimen and to investigate the effect of volatile fatty acids (VFA) on GLP-2 release in sheep. In experiment 1, blood samples were collected over 3 d from 4 Suffolk mature wethers adapted to a maintenance diet fed once daily; day 1 sampling was preceded by 24 h of fasting to reach steady state. On days 1 and 3, samples were collected every 10 min from 11:00 to 14:00 on both days and then every 1 h until 00:00 on day 1 only; feed was offered at 12:00. On day 2, feed was withheld, and sampling was performed every hour from 01:00 to 00:00. In experiment 2, 5 Suffolk mature wethers were assigned to 5 treatment groups of intraruminal administration of saline, acetate, propionate, butyrate, or VFA mix (acetate, propionate, and butyrate in a ratio of 65:20:15) in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. Blood samples were collected at 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, and 120 min relative to the beginning of administration at 12:00. In both experiments, plasma GLP-2, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose, insulin, and β-hydroxy butyric acid (BHBA) levels were measured. In experiment 1, incremental area under the curve was greater (P < 0.05) post-feeding than pre-feeding on days 1 and 3 for GLP-2 and tended to be greater (P < 0.1) on day 1 for GLP-1. Plasma insulin, glucose, and BHBA levels increased (P < 0.05) on day 1 post-feeding. Plasma GLP-2 was poorly correlated with GLP-1 but positively correlated with insulin, glucose, and BHBA. In experiment 2, administration of butyrate and VFA mix remarkably increased plasma GLP-2 (P = 0.05) and BHBA (P < 0.0001) levels compared with those in other treatments. Plasma GLP-1 levels were higher with butyrate administration compared with those in the saline, acetate, and VFA mix (P = 0.019). Propionate administration increased plasma glucose (P = 0.013) and insulin (P = 0.053) levels. Thus, our data confirmed that GLP-2 release is responsive to feeding and might be promoted by BHBA produced by the rumen epithelial metabolism of butyrate. Further molecular- and cellular-level studies are needed to determine the role of butyrate as a signaling molecule for GLP-2 release.

Effect of volatile fatty acids in anaerobic conditions on viability of helminth ova (Ascaris suum) in sanitization of municipal sludge

ABSTRACTThe present work aimed at evaluating the effect of four different mixtures of diverse volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on the viability of helminth ova (Ascaris suum), under mesophilic (35°C) anaerobic conditions and at different incubation times, in order to reproduce the process of two-phase anaerobic digestion. The mixtures of VFAs contained acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, and isovaleric acids, used at concentrations normally found in acidogenic anaerobic digesters. The four treatments all showed a reduction in Ascaris suum ova viability, among which Treatment III (4.2 g-acetic acid L−1 + 2.2 g-propionic acid L−1 + 0.6 g-valeric acid L−1 + 0.6 g-isovaleric acid L−1) resulted the most efficient. We found that the full effect of VFAs on the viability loss of Ascaris suum ova in mesophilic conditions requires a minimum incubation time of 3 days. The highest efficiency in the loss of viability was observed with Treatment III and 4-day incubation. Interestingly, the proportion of acetic acid was three times as much in this treatment than in the other ones and resulted in an effect in a minimum time of 3 days. The mesophilic condition, however, was not sufficient to induce a complete loss of viability.

Biogas Production on Demand Regulated by Butyric Acid Addition

Investigating effects of volatile fatty acids on the biogas process it was observed that butyric acid can be used for transient stimulation of the methane production in biogas plants operating with low energy substrates like cattle manure. Upon addition of butyrate the methane output of the reactors doubled within 24 h and reached almost 3-times higher methane yields within 3-4 days. Butyrate was quantitatively eliminated and the reactors returned to the original productivity state within 3 days when application of butyrate was stopped. The opportunity to use butyrate feeding for increased biogas production on demand is discussed.

Metagenomic insights into the effects of volatile fatty acids on microbial community structures and functional genes in organotrophic anammox process

To explore the metabolic versatility of “Candidatus Brocadia sinica” in the presence of VFAs, the impacts of VFAs on anammox activity and nitrogen removal were investigated in this study. Results found that low VFAs concentrations has no affect on anammox activity and the removal efficiencies of NH4+-N and NO2−-N. However, “Ca. Brocadia sinica” showed higher adaptability to some VFAs stresses. Furthermore, Illumina MiSeq pyrosequencing results indicated that the microbial community structures varied significantly and the phyla Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chlorobi were dominated. Finally, qPCR was performed to validate the growth of anammox bacteria and gain the quantitative insights into the correlation between nitrogen transformation rates and the key functional genes in the organotrophic anammox system. Combined analysis clearly demonstrated that the coupling of the anammox, denitrification and DNRA were the noteworthy pathway for the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and organic carbon.

Formation and the effect of resulting volatile fatty acids in food waste on bioethanol production

Formation and the effect of volatile fatty acids (VFAs: acetic acid, propionic acid, iso-butyric acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid) generated in food waste (grains, fruits, and vegetables) on bioethanol production are studied. Acetic acid, which is the predominantly generated VFA in food waste, differs in production according to food waste composition and storage period. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the rate of formation of acetic acid was related to food waste composition rather than to storage period. Nevertheless, the amount of acetic acid produced naturally during the storage period (0–8 days) did not influence ethanol production.

Algal-bacterial process for the simultaneous detoxification of thiocyanate-containing wastewater and maximized lipid production under photoautotrophic/photoheterotrophic conditions.

In this work, a cooperative algal-bacterial system that efficiently degrades thiocyanate (SCN(-)), a toxic contaminant, and exhibits high lipid productivity, was developed. A consortium of mixed bacteria (activated sludge) and microalgae was sequentially cultivated under photoautotrophic and photoheterotrophic modes. The hydrolysis of SCN(-) to ammonium (NH4(+))-nitrogen and subsequent nitrification steps were performed by the initial activated sludge under lithoautotrophic conditions. The NH4(+) and oxidized forms of nitrogen, nitrite (NO2(-)) and nitrate (NO3(-)), were then assimilated and removed by the microalgal cells when light was supplied. After the degradation of SCN(-), the cultivation mode was changed to photoheterotrophic conditions in a sequential manner. Algal-bacterial cultures containing Chlorella protothecoides and Ettlia sp. yielded significantly increased lipid productivity under photoheterotrophic conditions compared to photoautotrophic conditions (28.7- and 17.3-fold higher, respectively). Statistical methodologies were also used to investigate the effects of volatile fatty acids and yeast extract on biomass and lipid production.

The effect of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on nutrient removal in SBR with biomass adapted to dairy wastewater

This study aims to determine the effect of volatile fatty acids on nitrates and orthophosphate removal in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with activated sludge biomass adapted to process dairy wastewater. The research also determine whether it is the type of fatty acid applied that is responsible for the effectiveness of denitrification and dephosphatation at varying nitrate:orthophosphate ratios, or whether these processes are additionally affected by the presence of microorganisms that have adapted to the specific carbon composition of the wastewater being treated. At the beginning of an operating cycle SBRs were dosed with VFAs to provide a source of carbon. A comparative analysis was performed of nitrate and orthophosphate removal at initial nitrate concentrations of 1.22, 7.3 and 15.2 mgNNO3·L−1. Doses of fatty acids were approximately 10.5 mgCOD·mg−1PPO4. They consisted of acetic, propionic, butyric, isobutyric, valeric, isovaleric and caproic acids. Increases of nitrate concentration from 1.22 to 15.2 mg NNO3·L−1 were observed to reduce the quantity of removed orthophosphate depending on the fatty acid applied, from 7.2–9.2 mgPPO4·L−1 to 4.5 – 6.7 mgPPO4·L−1. Every increase in the removed nitrates by 5.0 mgNNO3·L−1 was accompanied by a decrease in the removed orthophosphate of around 1 mgPPO4·L−1. The reactor containing acetic acid was found to remove the highest amount of orthophosphate irrespective of the nitrates concentration. Acids present in significant amount in dairy wastewaters (i.e. acetic, propionic and butyric) were more effective source of carbon in the denitrification process compared to low concentration acids.

Effects of volatile fatty acids, ammonium and agitation on thermophilic methane production from biogas plant sludge in lab-scale experiments

The effects of different volatile fatty acids (VFA, formate, acetate, propionate and butyrate), ammonium (NH (4) (+)) and agitation on methane (CH(4)) production were determined in 120-mL serum bottles. We showed that the addition of formate did not lead to an inhibition of methanogenesis until a concentration of 120 mmol/L. A complete inhibition of methanogenesis was detected in variants containing 360 mmol/L formate or propionate until day 3 but the production started afterwards within next 2 days. This might indicate a kind of adaptation to the higher volatile fatty acid concentrations. Increasing NH (4) (+) concentrations led to higher initial CH(4) production, with an optimum at 120 mmol/L. The addition of 720 mmol/L NH (4) (+) led to a complete inhibition until day 3; subsequently, CH(4) production started again on day 5 though it was still significantly lower compared to the other variants. Finally, also the speed of agitation showed significant effects on methanogenesis. The CH(4) production from complex carbon sources was most favourable at a moderate agitation of 150 rpm of the lab-scale serum bottles. A lower or higher speed brought about a distinct reduction of CH(4) production.

Nitrate reduction by organotrophic Anammox bacteria in a nitritation/anammox granular sludge and a moving bed biofilm reactor

The effects of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on nitrogen removal and microbial community structure in nitritation/anammox process were compared within a granular sludge reactor and a moving bed biofilm reactor. Nitrate productions in both systems were lower by 40–68% in comparison with expected nitrate production. Expected sludge production on VFAs was estimated to be 67–77% higher if heterotrophs were the main acetate degraders suggesting that Anammox bacteria used its organotrophic capability and successfully competed with general heterotrophs for organic carbon, which led to a reduced sludge production. FISH measurements showed a population consisting of mainly Anammox and AOB in both reactors and oxygen uptake rate (OUR) tests also confirmed that flocculent biomass consisted of a minor proportion of heterotrophs with a large proportion of AOBs. The dominant Anammox bacterium was Candidatus “Brocadia fulgida” with a minor fraction of Candidatus “Anammoxoglobus propionicus”, both known to be capable of oxidizing VFAs.

Evaluation of Stability Factors in the Anaerobic Treatment of Slaughterhouse Wastewater

The main environmental factors that assured the stability of an anaerobic batch process for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater were evaluated. The reactor was inoculated with anaerobic sludge from a distillery wastewater treatment plant. The volume of produced CH4 was proportional to the quantity of organic matter removed matter (measured as Chemical Oxygen Demand, COD). The overall organic matter removal was 75%. The acetic, propionic and butyric acids concentration profiles were similar, where acetic acid had the highest concentration throughout the study period. The response time recorded between the acetogenic and methanogenic stages in this study was two days. The process showed an elevated acidogenic activity of 1.62 g of VFA/g of COD removed and a high Methane Production Rate (MPR) of about 450 ml of CH4/g of COD removed. The anaerobic treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater generated a buffer system which produced sufficient alkalinity to neutralize the effects of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) generated during the process.