Ammonia inhibition in anaerobic digestion of organic waste: a review

Abstract Anaerobic digestion (AD) has become the technology of choice for organic waste treatment as an environmentally beneficial and sustainable waste treatment technology. However, the nitrogen content of these organic waste streams is generally high. Ammonia is produced in the biodegradation of nitrogenous organic matter. Low concentrations of ammonia favour AD, but high concentrations can lead to digestive system failure. To address the issue of ammonia inhibition and ensure the stability of the digestive system, numerous physical, chemical, and biologicalmethods aimed at controlling ammonia levels and/or strengthening the biological processes have been proposedand developed. Literature evidence suggests that differences in AD reaction conditions and microbial sources result in different tolerances of the digestive system to ammonia and nitrogen. This paper summarises and compares the inhibitory effects of ammonia nitrogen under different conditions and the existing regulatory measures to alleviate ammonia nitrogen inhibition. In addition, since the core of the digestive system is microorganisms, this paper explains the mechanism of ammonia stress especially at the microbial level, and in this way, it explores the future direction of research using biofortification. This review provides a theoretical reference for solving the problem of ammonia nitrogen inhibition.