Excellerated startup

[Bill2]

i understand it's best to get "seed" bacteria at startup. But do you think it's possible to "incubate" methane producing bacteria, in a smaller scale to speed startup? As one could estimate, in batch digestion, startup is a problem because, you can stagger many batches, but startup time can still vary.

[piet]

Dear Bill2,
I have found the best anaerobic starter to be the contents of a freshly slaughtered cow's stomach. The first one, not the fourth. Methane is produced in the first compartment. Failing this, store-bought organisms do a fine job. They can be found in several septic tank cleaning agents that rely on bacteria to do the job. They contain a suite of suitable organisms and will sort themselves out as to who survives and who thrives. Don't be concerned about the ones who die off in an oxygen depleted environment. They are going to a better place.
Best Regards,
piet.