Implementing polyhydroxyalkanoates production to anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste to diversify products and increase total energy recovery

A simple biorefinery aimed at producing both biomethane (CH₄) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), was proposed to valorize the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Anaerobic digestion (AD) was tested at different organic loading rates (OLR-I-II-III) (i.e. 3, 4 and 6 g L^-1 d^-1, respectively), producing biomethane and volatile fatty acids (VFAs)-rich digestate, the VFAs were then used to produce PHAs. Specific biogas and CH₄ production remained similar when adopting different OLRs (biogas of 522-600 NL kg^-1 VS and CH₄ of 64-67% v/v). VFAs concentrated with OLR increases and their patterns were modified. PHA production was in the range of 117-199 g kg^-1 OFMSW_TS with the lowest production being associated to different polymer composition. The net energy recovery of this simple biorefinery accounted for 64% of OFMSW energy content, and the PHAs produced represented over 30% of the total energy.

Transitions of microbial communities in the solid and liquid phases during high-solids anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste

This study presents a microbiological diagnosis of a mesophilic high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) system with percolate recirculation. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in microbial diversity in both the solid digestate and the liquid percolate. Also, the digestate from the top and middle sections of the digester had similar diversity, whereas the digestate from the bottom of the tank had a slightly lower diversity. These results suggest that despite percolate recirculation, substrate gradients might have developed across the system. Archaeal communities showed shifts towards known hydrogenotrophic and ammonia-tolerant methanogens (genera Methanocelleus, Methanolinea, Methanosarcina, vadin CA11, etc.), which was a consequence of decreased volatile fatty acids and increased ammonia-nitrogen levels over time. Compared to initial solid and liquid inoculum, the relative abundances of some bacteria (phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) and archaea of the genus Methanosarcina changed between two phases in the opposite direction, indicating a shift of microbes between two phases.

Volatile fatty acids production from biowaste at mechanical-biological treatment plants: Focusing on fermentation temperature

The impact of temperature (20, 35, 45, 55, 70 °C) on volatile fatty acid (VFA) production from biowaste collected at a mechanical-biological treatment plant was analysed. Additionally, relevant streams of the treatment plant were characterised to assess seasonality effects and conceive the integration of a fermentation unit. Batch fermentation tests at 35 °C showed the highest VFA yields (0.49-0.59 gCOD_VFA/gVS). The VFA yield at 35 °C was 2%, 6%, 10% and 14% higher than at 55, 45, 20 and 70 °C, respectively. The VFA profile was not affected by the fermentation temperature nor seasonality and was dominated by acetic, propionic and butyric acid (75-86% COD_VFA). The concentration of non-VFA soluble COD and ammoniacal nitrogen in the fermentation liquor increased with temperature. The fermentation unit in the treatment plant was conceived after the pulper and hydrocyclones and before the anaerobic digester, while the fermenter temperature depends on the VFA application.

Influence of temperature on enhancement of volatile fatty acids fermentation from organic fraction of municipal solid waste: Synergism between food and paper components

This study explores individual contributions and synergistic effects of food and paper, main components of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) towards volatile fatty acids (VFA) fermentation under different temperatures (25, 37, 42 and 52 °C). Thanks to the synergism of food and paper component (FC & PC), the results revealed that OFMSW is suitable for VFA production. Maximum VFA production was noticed to be 21.5 mg/L at 42 °C, ~2.1, and 1.42 times higher than fermentation of PC and FC. Enhanced hydrolysis of PC occurred at >37 °C, increasing alkalinity in leachate to 6.7 g/L at 42 °C, thus maintaining a stable pH (5.4-5.6) during acidogenic fermentation. Additionally, 74% of COD is hydrolyzed, of which 79% is converted to VFA based on biodegradable carbon at 42 °C. It is suggested that co-existence of FC and PC can enhance VFA production of OFMSW, and targeted VFA production can be maximized through process optimization.

An urban biorefinery for food waste and biological sludge conversion into polyhydroxyalkanoates and biogas

This study focuses on the application of the concept of circular economy, with the creation of added-value marketable products and energy from organic waste while minimizing environmental impacts. Within this purpose, an urban biorefinery technology chain has been developed at pilot scale in the territorial context of the Treviso municipality (northeast Italy) for the production of biopolymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHAs) and biogas from waste of urban origin. The piloting system (100-380 L) comprised the following units: a) acidogenic fermentation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and biological sludge; b) two solid/liquid separation steps consisting of a coaxial centrifuge and a tubular membrane (0.2 μm porosity); c) a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) for aerobic PHA-storing biomass production; d) aerobic fed-batch PHA accumulation reactor and e) Anaerobic co-digestion (ACoD). The thermal pre-treatment (72 °C, 48 h) of the feedstock enhanced the solubilization of the organic matter, which was converted into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in batch mode under mesophilic fermentation conditions (37 °C). The VFA content increased up to 30 ± 3 g COD/L (overall yield 0.65 ± 0.04 g COD_VFA/g VS₍₀₎), with high COD_VFA/COD_SOL (0.86 ± 0.05). The high COD_VFA/COD_SOL ratio enhanced the PHA-storing biomass selection in the SBR by limiting the growth of the non-storing microbial population. Under fully aerobic feast-famine regime, the selection reactor was continuously operated for 6 months at an average organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.4 ± 0.6 g COD/L d and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day (equal to SRT). The ACoD process (HRT 15 days, OLR 3.0-3.5 kg VS/m³ d) allowed to recover the residual solid-rich overflows generated by the two solid/liquid separation units with the production of biogas (SGP 0.44-0.51 m³/kg VS) and digestate. An overall yield of 7.6% wt PHA/VS₍₀₎ has been estimated from the mass balance. In addition, a preliminary insight into potential social acceptance and barriers regarding organic waste-derived products was obtained.

Optimization of urban waste fermentation for volatile fatty acids production

The problem of waste disposal has recently focused on practices for waste recycling and bio-resources valorization. Organic waste produced in urban context together with biological sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can be used as renewable feedstock for the production of building blocks of different products, from biopolymers to methyl esters. This paper deals with the optimization of the fermentation process in order to transform urban organic waste (a mixture of pre-treated food waste and biological sludge) into added-value volatile fatty acid (VFA) rich stream, useful for biological processes within a biorefinery technology chain. Different temperatures, pH, hydraulic retention times (HRTs) and organic loading rates (OLRs) were tested both in batch and continuous trials. Batch tests showed the best working conditions at 37 °C and pH 9, using the bio-waste feedstock thermally pre-treated (76 h at 72 °C). These conditions were applied in continuous process, where higher HRT (6.0 d) and lower OLR [7.7 kg VS/(m³ d)] gave the best performances in terms of process yield and maximum VFA level achieved: 0.77 COD_VFA/VS₍₀₎ and 39 g COD_VFA/L. An optimized fermentation process is crucial in a biorefinery perspective since it has to give a final stream of constant composition or tailored products suitable for further applications.

The toxicity effects of ammonia on anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste

In this research the inhibitory effects of ammonia on the AD of synthetic OFMSW were examined under different total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of 2,500, 5,000, 7,500, and 10,000mg/L and at pH levels of 7.5, 8.0 and 8.5 using a factorial experimental design and statistical analysis. Reduction in Cumulative Biogas Production (CBP) at a TAN concentration of 2,500mg/L was close to 10% for all 3 pH levels. For a TAN concentration of 10,000mg/L the percent reduction in CBP was over 80% for all 3 pH levels showing significant inhibition due to ammonia with neglible influence due to change in pH. However, pH played a more significant role for TAN concentrations between the above two levels, as at a TAN concentartion of 7,500mg/L, the percent reduction in CBP increased from 42.2% at a pH of 7.5 to 76.5% at a pH of 8.5. Regression analysis was used to estimate CBP and % reduction (%R) in CBP using a quadratic equation with pH and TAN as independant variables (R²=0.95 and 0.94). Methane produciton per g of COD removed was obsereved to vary from 264mL CH₄/g COD_d for control reactors at pH 7.5 down to 1mL CH₄/g COD_d for the reactor at pH of 8.5 which contained 10,000mg/L TAN. Results of gradual ammonia loading also showed that mesophilic bacteria could be adapted to a TAN concentration of up to 5,000mg/L at pH 7.5 through gradual TAN loading. At 10,000mg/L TAN CBP in reactors with gradual TAN loading was more than 1.9-3 times the CBP in reactors with abrupt TAN addition.

The effect of temperature, storage time and collection method on biomethane potential of source separated household food waste

The aim of this study was to mimic real conditions for storage and transport and to evaluate how much of the biomethane potential is lost before the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) from households in Sweden reaches the biogas plant. The laboratory biomethane potential (BMP) experiments was carried out with respect to the storage time, collection method (paper or plastic bag) and storage temperature (22°C and 6°C) in order to evaluate the effect of these factors on the biomethane potential. A recipe representative for OFMSW from households in Sweden was designed with the help of literature and modification of recipes from technical reports and scientific literature. Laboratory experiments showed that the difference in the BMP of OFMSW stored in plastic- compared to paper bags were obvious at 22°C with a lower biomethane potential for paper bags, but there was no difference at 6°C. Provided that the loss of organic matter during pre-treatment is equivalent for both paper and plastic bags it is possible to get more biomethane from OFMSW collected in plastic bags during the warmest part of the year, since they have a more preservative effect on OFMSW than paper bags. This could be explained by the plastic bags being denser than paper and therefore maintain the volatile organic compounds inside the bag and promote a pre-hydrolysis of the material rather than aerobic degradation.

Improving methane yield from organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) with magnetic rice-straw biochar

Magnetic biochar is a potential economical anaerobic digestion (AD) additive. To better understand the possible role of magnetic biochar for the improvement of biomethanization performance and the retention of methanogens, magnetic biochar fabricated under different precursor concentrations were introduced into organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) slurry AD system. Results showed that methane production in AD treatment with magnetic biochar fabricated under 3.2g FeCl₃:100g rice-straw ratio increased by 11.69% compared with control treatment without biochar addition, due to selective enrichment of microorganisms participating in anaerobic digestion on magnetic biochar. AD treatment with magnetic biochar fabricated under 32g FeCl₃:100g rice-straw ratio resulted in 38.34% decreasement of methane production because of the competition of iron oxide for electron. Furthermore, 25% of total methanogens were absorbed on magnetic biochar and can be harvested with magnet, which can offer a potential solution for preventing the methanogens loss in the anaerobic digesters.

Economic and environmental sustainability of an AnMBR treating urban wastewater and organic fraction of municipal solid waste

The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating urban wastewater (UWW) and organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) at ambient temperature in mild/hot climates. To this aim, power requirements, energy recovery from methane (biogas methane and methane dissolved in the effluent), consumption of reagents for membrane cleaning, and sludge handling (polyelectrolyte and energy consumption) and disposal (farmland, landfilling and incineration) were evaluated within different operating scenarios. Results showed that, for the operating conditions considered in this study, AnMBR technology is likely to be a net energy producer, resulting in considerable cost savings (up to €0.023 per m(3) of treated water) when treating low-sulphate influent. Life cycle analysis (LCA) results revealed that operating at high sludge retention times (70 days) and treating UWW jointly with OFMSW enhances the overall environmental performance of AnMBR technology.

PHA production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW): Overcoming the inhibitory matrix

Leachate from the source separated organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was evaluated as a substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production. Initially, the enrichment step was conducted directly on leachate in a feast-famine regime. Maximization of the cellular PHA content of the enriched biomass yielded to low PHA content (29 wt%), suggesting that the selection for PHA-producers was unsuccessful. When the substrate for the enrichment was switched to a synthetic volatile fatty acid (VFA) mixture -resembling the VFA carbon composition of the leachate-the PHA-producers gained the competitive advantage and dominated. Subsequent accumulation with leachate in nutrient excess conditions resulted in a maximum PHA content of 78 wt%. Based on the experimental results, enriching a PHA-producing community in a "clean" VFA stream, and then accumulating PHA from a stream that does not allow for enrichment but does enable a high cellular PHA content, such as OFMSW leachate, makes the overall process much more economically attractive. The estimated overall process yield can be increased four-fold, in comparison to direct use of the complex matrix for both enrichment and accumulation.

Optimizing the performance of microbial fuel cells fed a combination of different synthetic organic fractions in municipal solid waste

The objective of this study was to establish the impact of different steam exploded organic fractions in municipal solid waste (MSW) on electricity production using microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In particular, the influence of individual steam exploded liquefied waste components (food waste (FW), paper-cardboard waste (PCW) and garden waste (GW)) and their blends on chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, columbic efficiency (CE) and microbial diversity was examined using a mixture design. Maximum power densities from 0.56 to 0.83 W m(-2) were observed for MFCs fed with different feedstocks. The maximum COD removed and minimum CE were observed for a GW feed. However, a reverse trend (minimum COD removed and maximum CE) was observed for the FW feed. A maximum COD removal (78%) accompanied with a maximum CE (24%) was observed for a combined feed of FW, PCW plus GW in a 1:1:1 ratio. Lactate, the major byproduct detected, was unutilized by the anodic biofilm community. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) could serve as a potential feedstock for electricity generation in MFCs; however, elevated protein levels will lead to reduced COD removal. The microbial communities in cultures fed FW and PCW was highly diversified; however, the communities in cultures fed FW or a feed mixture containing high FW levels were similar and dominated by Bacteroidetes and β-proteobacteria.

Optimization of solid state anaerobic digestion of the OFMSW by digestate recirculation: A new approach

Dry anaerobic digestion (AD) of OFMSW was optimized in order to produce biogas avoiding the use of solid inoculum. Doing so the dry AD was performed irrigating the solid waste with liquid digestate (flow rate of 1:1.18-1:0.9 w/w waste/digestate; 21d of hydraulic retention time - HRT) in order to remove fermentation products inhibiting AD process. Results indicated that a high hydrolysis rate of organic matter (OM) and partial biogas production were obtained directly during the dry AD. Hydrolysate OM was removed from digester by the percolate flow and it was subsequently used to feed a liquid anaerobic digester. During dry AD a total loss of 36.9% of total solids was recorded. Methane balance indicated that 18.4% of potential methane can be produced during dry AD and 49.7% by the percolate. Nevertheless results obtained for liquid AD digestion indicated that only 20.4% and 25.7% of potential producible methane was generated by adopting 15 and 20 days of HRT, probably due to the AD inhibition due to high presence of toxic ammonia forms in the liquid medium.