The diffusion mechanism of acetylene,which can inhibit the activity of methanogens, was studied. Paraffin wax and rosin were used as matrix of slow-release and calcium carbide was used as inhibition material. Based on the T. Higuchi equation and the characteristics of slow-release inhibitors, a mechanism model was derived. Moreover, the effective diffusion coefficients (De) can be acquired by this model. During the diffusion process, the reaction heat of calcium carbide and water could make acetylene gas expansion and caused the slow-release inhibitors expansion if the hardness of the slow-release inhibitors is inadequate. The hardness and compactness were enhanced and the effective diffusion coefficients reached 2.2849 x 10(-8) cm2/min (R2 = 0.9901) when the mass faction of rosin was 20% and the mass ratio of matrix to calcium carbide was 1/1. Hence,the mitigation the methane generation with municipal solid waste (MSW) can be achieved by the technology of slow-release inhibition.
