Current technical development in continuous H2 and CH4 production from organic waste

Abstract

Current development on continuous hydrogen and methane production at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology was summarized in this manuscript. Long-term operation of H2-producing processes fed with non-sterile food waste exhibited successful results. Adjusting dilution rate in a sequence (from 4.5 to 2.5 d-1) was optimized for H2 production in leaching beds system. The wastewater from the leaching beds was converted to CH4 in a upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. Meanwhile, H2 production in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) was enhanced by maintaining solid retention time independent from hydraulic retention time and the decrease of H2 partial pressure by CO2 sparging. Co-digestion was another main research objective. A temperature-phased ASBR system showed effective CH4 production due to fast hydrolysis and acidogenesis in the thermophilic first-stage. These stable and effective results could provide various options in biogas production from organic waste.