Anaerobic Decomposition of Organic Matter

Anaerobic Decomposition of Organic Matter

Anaerobic Decomposition of Organic Matter
Decomposition of organic matter takes place by activity of mesophilic and thermophilic microbes thus producing CO₂, H₂, C₂H₅OH and organic acids like acetic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid and butyric acid. Among the mesophilic flora, bacteria (Clostridium) are more active than fungi or actinomycetes in cellulolytic activity. They are found in large numbers in peaty and manured soils but rarely found in cultivated arable soils.

In compost heaps, both mesophilic and thermophilic microbes (bacteria and actinomycetes) are important in the breakdown of cellulose substrates. The initial stages of organic matter decomposition is by the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and proteins into organic acids and alcohols. The later stage envisages the methane bacteria which are strict anaerobes and which act on secondary substrates chiefly lactic acid, acetic acid and butyric acid and ferment them into ethyl alcohol and CO₂, Examples of methane bacteria are Methanobacterium, Methanobacillus, Methanosarcina and Methanococcus.

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