Articles
  • Microbial community dynamics and biogas optimization in full-scale anaerobic digesters across South Korea

  • Okkyoung Choia, Darsha Prabhaharanb, Hyojeong Songc, HyunJin Kimd, Hyunook Kime,*, Jung Han Parkf, Amith Abrahamg and Byoung-In Sangb,g,*

  • aEco Lab Center, SK Ecoplant, 51, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
    bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong- gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
    cDepartment of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02504, Republic of Korea
    dDepartment of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstraße 94-96, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
    eKorea Electric Power Research Institute, 105 Munji-ro, Yooseong-gu, Daejeon 34056, Republic of Korea
    fNational Research Facilities and Equipment Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34133, Republic of Korea
    gClean-Energy Research Institute, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong- gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Optimizing microbial communities in anaerobic digesters is essential to improving biogas production for sustainable energy. This study utilized high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile microbial communities from 18 full-scale biogas plants across South Korea, revealing key microbial patterns linked to performance. The bacterial consortia were dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Cloacimonetes, and Proteobacteria, with feedstock type exerting a marked influence on community composition. Firmicutes predominated in FW-fed digesters that exhibited high methane yields (≥ 1 m³ CH₄ m⁻³ day⁻¹), whereas Proteobacteria prevailed in activated sludge-fed systems characterized by lower methane production. Among archaeal families, Methanosarcinaceae, Methanomassiliicoccaceae, and Methanobacteriaceae were especially abundant in high-performing plants. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed a strong positive association between Firmicutes and Methanosarcinaceae in these reactors, indicative of synergistic metabolic interactions that enhance methane generation. Conversely, low-yield plants showed prominent co-occurrence patterns between Proteobacteria and Methanosaetaceae, suggesting alternative or less efficient pathways of methanogenesis. Overall, our findings underscore the critical role of feedstock-dependent microbial networks in determining biogas plant performance, highlighting specific bacterial and archaeal groups as potential biomarkers for monitoring and optimizing anaerobic digestion. These insights also lay a foundation for computational modeling aimed at predicting metabolic outcomes based on microbiome data, ultimately contributing to more effective and sustainable biogas production.


Keywords: Biogas, Anaerobic digestion, Microbial community, Co-occurrence networks, Biomarkers.

This Article

  • 2025; 26(3): 440-449

    Published on Jun 30, 2025

  • 10.36410/jcpr.2025.26.3.440
  • Received on Feb 24, 2025
  • Revised on Mar 12, 2025
  • Accepted on Mar 14, 2025

Correspondence to

  • Hyunook Kim e, Byoung-In Sang b,g

  • bDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong- gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
    eKorea Electric Power Research Institute, 105 Munji-ro, Yooseong-gu, Daejeon 34056, Republic of Korea
    gClean-Energy Research Institute, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong- gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
    Hyunook Kim Tel : +82-2-6490-5456
    Byoung-In Sang Tel : +82-2-2220-4717

  • E-mail: h_kim@uos.ac.kr, biosang@hanyang.ac.kr