The composition of feed was as follows (mg/L): total solids (TS) 23885, volatile solids (VS) 16310, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 45350. The pollutant concentrations of the feed manure were relatively low, due to the large amounts of washing water used as a result of the concerning of foot and mouth disease, a highly infectious viral disease of cloven hoofed animals, during this experiment. The swine manure was filtered using a 28-mesh sieve to remove large particles prior to feeding into the reactors