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Effects of feedstock carbon to nitrogen ratio and organic loading on foaming potential in mesophilic food waste anaerobic digestion

  • Bioenergy and biofuels
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Abstract

Foaming problem which occurred occasionally during food waste (FW) anaerobic digestion (AD) was investigated with the Malaysian FW by stepwise increase in organic loading (OL) from 0.5 to 7.5 g VS/L. The FW feedstock with carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 17 was upgraded to C/N ratio of 26 and 30 by mixing with other wastes. The digestion which was carried out at 37 °C in 1-L batch reactors showed that foam formation initiated at OL of 1.5 g VS/L and was further enhanced as OL of feedstock was increased. The digestion foaming reached its maximum at OL of 5.5 g VS/L and did not increase further even when OL was increased to 7.5 g VS/Ld. Increase in the C/N ratio of feedstock significantly enhanced the microbial degradation activity, leading to better removal of foam causing intermediates and reduced foaming in the reactor by up to 60 %.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Universiti Putra Malaysia for the financial assistance and facilities through the Research University Grant Scheme (RUGS). We would also like to thank the management of FW treatment plant in Sri Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, for supplying the sample.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Musa Idris Tanimu, Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazi, Mohd Razif Harun & Azni Idris

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  1. Musa Idris Tanimu
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  2. Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazi
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  3. Mohd Razif Harun
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  4. Azni Idris
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Correspondence to Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazi.

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Tanimu, M.I., Mohd Ghazi, T.I., Harun, M.R. et al. Effects of feedstock carbon to nitrogen ratio and organic loading on foaming potential in mesophilic food waste anaerobic digestion. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 4509–4520 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6486-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6486-4

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