Energy recovery from one- and two-stage anaerobic digestion of food waste

DE GIOANNIS, GIORGIA;MUNTONI, ALDO

;Polettini, A;Pomi, R;SPIGA, DANIELA

2017-01-01

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Abstract

One- and two-stage anaerobic digestion of food waste aimed at recovering methane (CH4) and hydrogen and methane (H2 + CH4), respectively, were compared in order to assess the potential benefits from the two-stage process in terms of overall energy recovery. Results suggest that a two-stage process where the first reactor is properly operated in order to achieve a significant net hydrogen production, may display a 20% comparatively higher energy recovery yield as a result, mainly, of enhanced methane production as well as of the associated hydrogen production. The highest methane production of the two-stage process was due to improved hydrolysis and fermentation of food waste, with increased amounts of volatile fatty acids being readily available to methanogenesis.