An electronic nose consists of a series of unspecific gas sensors that provides a compositional profile of the biogas, thereby giving an overview of the process status. Various process conditions can be identified with the electronic nose, and the results are correlated with those of traditional process analyses. The status of the biogas process is reflected in the chemical composition of the sludge. In NIR, the capacity of molecules to absorb light of various wavelengths is measured. The degree to which a given wavelength is absorbed will vary depending on a sludge's composition NIR can thus provide information on the status of a process, and these data can be correlated to information obtained using traditional process analyses.
All organisms have long-chain fatty acids in their phospholipids.
The carbon chains differ between groups of microorganisms. The amount and composition of these carbon chains therefore reflects in the amount and types of organisms in the sample. By analysing fatty acids in phospholipids in the reactor contents it is possible to determine how the community of organisms changes over time in response to a disturbance or to characterise changes occurring before the disturbance can be detected in other ways. For more information, please contact ke Nordberg .