Enhancement of food waste digestion in the hybrid anaerobic solid-liquid system.

The hybrid anaerobic solid-liquid (HASL) system is a modified two-phase anaerobic digester for food waste treatment. To enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion in the HASL system, thermal pre-treatment (heating at 150 degrees C for 1 h) and freezing/thawing (freezing for 24 h at-20 degrees C and then thawing for 12 h at 25 degrees C) were proposed for food waste pre-treatment before the anaerobic digestion. Both processes were able to alter the characteristics and structure of food waste favoring substance solubilization, and hence production of methane. However, there was no net energy gain when the energy required by the pre-treatment processes was taken into account.

Effect of protein on biohydrogen production from starch of food waste.

This study demonstrated the influence of protein on biohydrogen production from carbohydrates, especially starch, by using different combinations of two model food wastes, rice as starch-rich and soybean residue as protein-rich food waste. It was found the maximum specific hydrogen production potential, 0.99 mol H2/mol initial starch as glucose, and the maximum specific hydrogen production rate, 530 ml H2/h g-VS, occurred at a starch/protein ratio of 1.7. The protein content in the initial food waste not only provided buffering capacity to neutralize the volatile fatty acids as concurrent products but also enhanced the hydrogen production by providing readily available organic nitrogen such as soluble proteins and amino acids to microorganisms.

Digestion of frozen/thawed food waste in the hybrid anaerobic solid-liquid system.

The hybrid anaerobic solid-liquid (HASL) system, which is a modified two-phase anaerobic digester, is to be used in an industrial scale operation to minimize disposal of food waste at incineration plants in Singapore. The aim of the present research was to evaluate freezing/thawing of food waste as a pre-treatment for its anaerobic digestion in the HASL system. The hydrolytic and fermentation processes in the acidogenic reactor were enhanced when food waste was frozen for 24h at -20 degrees C and then thawed for 12h at 25 degrees C (experiment) in comparison with fresh food waste (control). The highest dissolved COD concentrations in the leachate from the acidogenic reactors were 16.9 g/l on day 3 in the control and 18.9 g/l on day 1 in the experiment. The highest VFA concentrations in the leachate from the acidogenic reactors were 11.7 g/l on day 3 in the control and 17.0 g/l on day 1 in the experiment. The same volume of methane was produced during 12 days in the control and 7 days in the experiment. It gave the opportunity to diminish operational time of batch process by 42%. The effect of freezing/thawing of food waste as pre-treatment for its anaerobic digestion in the HASL system was comparable with that of thermal pre-treatment of food waste at 150 degrees C for 1h. However, estimation of energy required either to heat the suspended food waste to 150 degrees C or to freeze the same quantity of food waste to -20 degrees C showed that freezing pre-treatment consumes about 3 times less energy than thermal pre-treatment.

Quantification of methanogens by fluorescence in situ hybridization with oligonucleotide probe.

To monitor anaerobic environmental engineering system, new method of quantification for methanogens was tested. It is based on the measurement of specific binding (hybridization) of 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probe Arc915, performed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and quantified by fluorescence spectrometry. Average specific binding of Arc915 probe was 13.4+/-0.5 amol/cell of autofluorescent methanogens. It was 14.3, 13.3, and 12.9 amol/cell at the log phase, at stationary phase and at the period of cell lysis of batch culture, respectively. Specific binding of Arc915 probe per 1 ml of microbial sludge suspension from anaerobic digester linearly correlated with concentration of autofluorescent cells of methanogens. Coefficient of correlation was 0.95. Specific binding of oligonucleotide probe Arc915 can be used for the comparative estimation of methanogens during anaerobic digestion of organic waste. Specific binding of Arc915 probe was linear function of anaerobic sludge concentration when it was between 1.4 and 14.0 mg/ml. Accuracy of the measurements in this region was from 5 to 12%.

A hybrid anaerobic solid-liquid system for food waste digestion.

A hybrid anaerobic solid - liquid (HASL) system was developed to enhance food waste bioconversion in comparison with the conventional two-phase anaerobic digester. The advantages of the HASL system were the higher efficiency of methane production and smaller volume of effluent from the system. The biogas, which was generated from the methanogenic phase, had an average methane content of 71-72%. Total removal of volatile solids consisted of 78-80%. The HASL system can be operated in both batch and semi-continuous modes with satisfactory performance. The addition of a submerged biofilter for ammonia removal to the HASL system further enhanced the performance of anaerobic digestion. Methane production in the enhanced HASL system was increased by 26% in comparison with the HASL system without submerged filter. This paper describes the development of the enhanced HASL system for anaerobic treatment of food waste.

The use of sewage sludge and horticultural waste to develop artificial soil for plant cultivation in Singapore.

Greenhouse pot experiments were performed with Ipomoea aquatica (Kang Kong) to evaluate artificial soil produced from poor fertility subsoil, horticultural compost, and sewage sludge. The addition of horticultural compost and sewage sludge to subsoil substantially improved plant growth, improved the physical properties of subsoil and enriched subsoil by essential nutrients for plants. The effect was enhanced when the two ingredients were added to subsoil together. The highest yield of biomass of I. aquatica was observed in artificial soil prepared by mixing subsoil with 4% (wet weight/wet weight) of horticultural compost and 2% (dry weight/wet weight) of sewage sludge. The contents of heavy metals in plants, grown in the artificial soil, were significantly lower than toxic levels. The artificial soil could be recommended for urban landscaping and gardening in Singapore.

Processing dewatered sewage sludge using electrokinetic technology.

High content of heavy metals and presence of pathogens in the dewatered sewage sludge have been the main obstacles for land application of sewage sludge-made fertilizer. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the innovative electrokinetic (EK) technology on removal of heavy metals from sewage sludge, on the reduction of pathogens, and on sludge chemical characteristics. The results showed that the removal efficiencies for Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, As and Pb were 94.9%, 95.4%, 89.7%, 67.8%, 31.2% and 18.7%, respectively. Acidification pretreatment of the dewatered sludge for 29 h decreased the content of heterotrophic bacteria from 1.5 x 10(8) c.f.u./g of wet sludge to 1.1 x 10(4) c.f.u./g of wet sludge. Although the initial content of total coliforms and fecal coliforms in sewage sludge were 5.8 x 10(5) c.f.u./g of wet sludge and 4.0 x 10(5) c.f.u./g of wet sludge, respectively, no viable cells were detected. Minor losses of K and N were detected, but the loss of P was found to be significant in EK treated sewage sludge. The treated sludge was technically considered as very stable based on the carbon dioxide evolution rate.

Biotechnology of intensive aerobic conversion of sewage sludge and food waste into fertilizer.

Biotechnology for intensive aerobic bioconversion of sewage sludge and food waste into fertilizer was developed. The wastes were treated in a closed reactor under controlled aeration, stirring, pH, and temperature at 60 degrees C, after addition of starter bacterial culture Bacillus thermoamylovorans. The biodegradation of sewage sludge was studied by decrease of volatile solids (VS), content of organic carbon and autofluorescence of coenzyme F420. The degradation of anaerobic biomass was faster than biodegradation of total organic matter. The best fertilizer was obtained when sewage sludge was thermally pre-treated, mixed with food waste, chalk, and artificial bulking agent. The content of volatile solid and the content of organic carbon decreased at 24.8% and 13.5% of total solids, respectively, during ten days of bioconversion. The fertilizer was a powder with moisture content of 5%. It was stable, and not toxic for the germination of plant seeds. Addition of 1.0 to 1.5% of this fertilizer to the subsoil increased the growth of different plants tested by 113 to 164%. The biotechnology can be applied in larger scale for the recycling of sewage sludge and food wastes in Singapore.

Iron-mediated removal of ammonium from strong nitrogenous wastewater from food processing.

The combination of microbial reduction and further microbial oxidation of iron was applied to the treatment of food-processing wastewater and recovery of ammonium. Fe2+ ions were formed by iron-reducing bacteria under anaerobic conditions. Ammonium was recovered by co-precipitation with negatively charged iron hydroxides produced during oxidation of Fe2+ by iron-oxidizing bacteria under microaerophilic conditions. The value-added by-product of this process can be used as a slowly released ammonium fertilizer.

Microbiological monitoring in the biodegradation of sewage sludge and food waste.

AIM: To study the microbiology of intensive, in-vessel biodegradation of a mixture of sewage sludge and vegetable food waste. METHODS AND RESULTS: The biodegradation was performed in a closed reactor with the addition of a starter culture of Bacillus thermoamylovorans SW25 under conditions of controlled aeration, stirring, pH and temperature (60 degrees C). The content of viable bacterial cells, determined by flow cytometry, increased from 5 x 108 g-1 of dry matter to 61 x 108 g-1 for 6 days of the process and then dropped to the initial value at the end of the process. The reductions of organic matter, 16S rRNA of methanogens and coenzyme F420 fluorescence during 10 days of the treatment were 67, 54 and 87% of the initial values, respectively. The biodegradability of the organic matter decreased during the 10 days of the treatment from 3.8 to 1.3 mg CO2 g-1 of organic matter per day. The treatment of sewage sludge and food waste at 60 degrees C did not remove enterobacteria, which are the agents of intestinal infections, from the material. The percentage of viable enterobacterial cells, determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with Enterobacteriaceae-specific oligonucleotide probe and flow cytometry, varied from 1 to 14% of the viable bacterial cells. CONCLUSIONS: The mixture of sewage sludge and food waste can be degraded by the aerobic thermophilic bacteria; the starter culture of Bacillus thermoamylovorans SW25 can be used to perform this process; and enterobacteria can survive under treatment of sewage sludge and food waste at 60 degrees C for 13 days. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results show that FISH with an oligonucleotide probe can be used to study not only the growth but also the degradation of biomass. Obtained results could be used to design the bioconversion of sewage sludge and food waste into organic fertilizer.