Activated sludge used for lignocellulose incubations was divided into two groups. In the first group, 500 mL activated sludge was untreated while in the other group, activated sludge was amended with 2 mM ammonium acetate and 18 mM sodium acetate every 12 h as carbon, energy, and nitrogen source. Preliminary testing showed that this supplementation regime did not result in accumulation of either substrate. Particulate lignocellulose samples (0.2 g) were placed in nylon mesh bags with 50-µm pore size enabling passage of bacteria into the nylon bag while retaining the lignocellulose within. Nylon bags containing 0.2-g lignocellulose were incubated in activated sludge with and without nutrient amendment. At each time point (week 0, week 1, week 2), 1 mL activated sludge and 0.2-g lignocellulose samples were taken from reactors A, B, and C and stored at -20 °C for further analysis. A pH of approximately 8 (+ / -0.5 pH units) was maintained by adding 5-10 mL of 0.1 HCl every 2 to 3 days.