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pH buffering additives mitigate the inhibition of thermophilic dry methane fermentation

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Abstract

This study describes the process of mitigation of fermentation inhibition using additives through a pH-buffering effect on thermophilic dry methane fermentation of municipal solid waste (MSW). Sodium hydrogen carbonate (SHC) and magnesium carbonate (MC) were selected as the experimental additives and were added to MSW, which comprised paper and food waste and had a wet mass ratio of 0.25, at a ratio of 0.1%, 1%, 3%, and 5% of the MSW wet mass. This experiment was conducted under thermophilic conditions at a temperature of 55 °C in 2-L separable flasks. The critical organic loading rate without the inhibition of rapid fermentation was 7.5 gVS/(kgsludge·d) in the control group, 6.5–8.5 gVS/(kgsludge·d) in the SHC group, and 8.0–9.5 gVS/(kgsludge·d) in the MC group. When the MC ratio was 3%, no significant fermentation inhibition was observed. The fermentation inhibition factors included decreased pH due to the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the control and MC groups and levels of free ammonia in the SHC group. MC had little effect on the sludge pH even at higher ratios because of its low water solubility. In conclusion, MC mitigated fermentation inhibition when VFAs accumulated in the sludge.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Enago (www.enago.jp) for the English language review.

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Author notes

  1. Yoichiro Kojima

    Present address: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, 1-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8950, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Region Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 768 Senbonmatsu, Nasushiobara, Tochigi, 329-2793, Japan

    Yoichiro Kojima & Masanori Tohno

  2. Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2 Ikenodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0901, Japan

    Ryoh Nakakubo

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  1. Yoichiro Kojima
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  2. Masanori Tohno
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Correspondence to Yoichiro Kojima.

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Kojima, Y., Tohno, M. & Nakakubo, R. pH buffering additives mitigate the inhibition of thermophilic dry methane fermentation. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 24, 1727–1735 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-022-01425-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-022-01425-6

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