Abstract:
Disclosed herein are a device and a method for extracting individual organic acids, Total Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA), ammonium (NH 4 + ), buffering inorganic carbon compounds or hydrogen carbonate (HCO 3 - ) to determine their concentrations and the trends of said concentrations in an active anaerobic digestion (AD) process. The determination of said concentrations in real-time allows the AD operator to run the AD at optimal efficiency and ensure that the VFA and NH 4 + concentrations do not reach toxic levels. A ratio of the concentration of total organic acids to the total inorganic carbon can be used to determine the performance of the digester.