Effect of feeding mode and dilution on the performance and microbial community population in anaerobic digestion of food waste

Jong-Hun Park; Gopalakrishnan Kumar; Yeo-Myeong Yun; Joong-Chun Kwon; Sang-Hyoun Kim

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2017.07.025

Effect of feeding mode and dilution on the performance and microbial community population in anaerobic digestion of food waste

Bioresour Technol. 2018 Jan;248(Pt A):134-140. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.07.025. Epub 2017 Jul 8.

Authors

Jong-Hun Park¹, Gopalakrishnan Kumar², Yeo-Myeong Yun³, Joong-Chun Kwon⁴, Sang-Hyoun Kim⁵

Affiliations

¹ Sustainable Environmental Process Research Institute, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453, Republic of Korea; Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
² Sustainable Environmental Process Research Institute, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453, Republic of Korea; Department of Environmental Engineering, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 373-1 Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Ecodigm Co., Ltd., 10-6 Expo-ro 339 Beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34124, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Sustainable Environmental Process Research Institute, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453, Republic of Korea; Department of Environmental Engineering, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sanghkim1@daegu.ac.kr.

PMID: 28720277
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.07.025

Abstract

The effect of feeding mode and dilution was studied in anaerobic digestion of food waste. An upflow anaerobic digester with a settler was fed at six different organic loading rates (OLRs) from 4.6 to 8.6kgCOD/m³/d for 200days. The highest methane productivity of 2.78LCH₄/L/d was achieved at 8.6kgCOD/m³/d during continuous feeding of diluted FW. Continuous feeding of diluted food waste showed more stable and efficient performance than stepwise feeding of undiluted food waste. Sharp increase in propionate concentration attributed towards deterioration of the digester performances in stepwise feeding of undiluted food waste. Microbial communities at various OLRs divulged that the microbial distribution in the continuous feeding of diluted food waste was not significantly perturbed despite the increase of OLR up to 8.6kgCOD/m³/d, which was contrast to the unstable distribution in stepwise feeding of undiluted food waste at 6.1kgCOD/m³/d.

Keywords: Continuity in feeding; Dilution; Food waste; Methane; Organic loading rate; Upflow anaerobic digester.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis*
Bioreactors*
Digestion
Food
Methane

Substances

Methane