Specific Methanogenic Activity (SMA) tests evaluate an anaerobic sludge’s capability to convert an organic substrate into methane. The test is used to calculate the maximum methanogenic potential, which represents the maximum capacity of a reactor, operating under ideal conditions, to convert volatile fatty acids into methane.

The test is also used to evaluate the sludge activity during different operational steps of an anaerobic system, to select an adapted sludge as inoculum, to follow changes in sludge activities due to a possible build-up of inert materials, to estimate maximum applicable loading rate to certain sludge or to evaluate batch kinetic parameters.

Automatic Methane Potential Test System (AMPTS) III is the research-standard analytical tool preferred by scientists and engineers for conducting various anaerobic batch fermentation tests. AMPTS is the only automated test apparatus referenced in VDI 4630 for biochemical methane potential (BMP), specific methanogenic activity (SMA) and residual gas potential (RGP).

The system consists of 18 parallel reactors (9 reactor configuration available) and the same number of gas flow meters (flow cells) attached to a detection unit for online, automatic data acquisition.  This allows for the real-time investigation of a high number of feedstock samples with high precision and accuracy.