Voelklein, MA;Jacob, A;Shea, RO;Murphy, JD

2016

February

Bioresource Technology

Assessment of increasing loading rate on two-stage digestion of food waste

Validated

WOS: 70 ()

ANAEROBIC CO-DIGESTION MUNICIPAL SOLID-WASTE STIRRED-TANK REACTOR METHANE PRODUCTION BIOHYDROGEN PRODUCTION ACTIVATED-SLUDGE ORGANIC FRACTION 2-PHASE FERMENTATION BIOMETHANE

202

172

180

A two-stage food waste digestion system involved a first stage hydrolysis reactor followed by a second stage methanogenic reactor. Organic loading rates (OLR) were increased from 6 to 15 g VS L (1) d (1) in the hydrolysis reactor and from 2 to 5 g VS L (1) d (1) in the methanogenic reactor. The retention time was fixed at 4 days (hydrolysis reactor) and 12 days (methane reactor). A single-stage digester was subjected to similar loading rates as the methanogenic reactor at 16 days retention. Increased OLR resulted in higher quantities of liquid fermentation products from the first stage hydrolysis reactor. Solubilisation of chemical oxygen demand peaked at 47% at the maximum loading. However, enhanced hydrolysis yields had no significant impact on the specific methane yields. The two-stage system increased methane yields up to 23% and enriched methane content by an average of 14% to levels of 71%. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OXFORD

0960-8524

10.1016/j.biortech.2015.12.001