As shown in Fig. 1b, TC inhibited MPA as its concentration increased. The degree of inhibition detected in the sludge with
intact granules was 15.7% for acetate and 22.8% for ethanol at 400 mg L1. For the disrupted sludge, the inhibitory effect
increased to 25.5% for acetate and 30.5% with ethanol at the same concentration. The results indicate that using ethanol as a substrate could lead to higher levels of inhibition and this enhancement of the adverse effect also appear to be greater in the disrupted sludge than the intact sludge.