• Energy Research

The Biohydrogen Potential (BHP) of six different types of waste biomass typical for the Campania Region (Italy) was investigated. Anaerobic sludge pre-treated with the specific methanogenic inhibitor sodium 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BESA) was used as seed inoculum. The BESA pre-treatment yielded the highest BHP in BHP tests carried out with pre-treated anaerobic sludge using potato and pumpkin waste as the substrates, in comparison with aeration or heat shock pre-treatment. The BHP tests carried out with different complex waste biomass showed average BHP values in a decreasing order from potato and pumpkin wastes (171.1 ± 7.3 ml H2/g VS) to buffalo manure (135.6 ± 4.1 ml H2/g VS), dried blood (slaughter house waste, 87.6 ± 4.1 ml H2/g VS), fennel waste (58.1 ± 29.8 ml H2/g VS), olive pomace (54.9 ± 5.4 ml H2/g VS) and olive mill wastewater (46.0 ± 15.6 ml H2/g VS). The digestate was analyzed for major soluble metabolites to elucidate the different biochemical pathways in the BHP tests. These showed the H2 was produced via mixed type fermentation pathways.

Abstract A local sensitivity analysis was performed for a chemically synthesized elemental sulfur (S0)-based two-step denitrification model, accounting for nitrite (NO2−) accumulation, biomass growth and S0 hydrolysis. The sensitivity analysis was aimed at verifying the model stability, understanding the model structure and individuating the model parameters to be further optimized. The mass specific area of the sulfur particles (a*) and hydrolysis kinetic constant (k1) were identified as the dominant parameters on the model outputs, i.e. nitrate (NO3−), NO2− and sulfate (SO42−) concentrations, confirming that the microbially catalyzed S0 hydrolysis is the rate-limiting step during S0-driven denitrification. Additionally, the maximum growth rates of the denitrifying biomass on NO3− and NO2− were detected as the most sensitive kinetic parameters.

This study investigates the dark fermentation of fruit and vegetable waste under mesophilic conditions (30–34 °C), as a valorization route for H2 and volatile fatty acids production, simulating the open market waste composition over the year in two Mediterranean countries. Specifically, the study focuses on the effect of the (i) seasonal variability, (ii) initial pH, and (iii) substrate/inoculum ratio on the yields and composition of the main end products. Concerning the seasonal variation, the summer and spring mixtures led to +16.8 and +21.7% higher H2 production than the winter/autumn mixture, respectively. Further investigation on the least productive substrate (winter/autumn) led to 193.0 ± 7.4 NmL of H2 g VS−1 at a pH of 5.5 and a substrate/inoculum of 1. With the same substrate, at a pH of 7.5, the highest acetic acid yield of 7.0 mmol/g VS was observed, with acetic acid corresponding to 78.2% of the total acids. Whereas a substrate/inoculum of 3 resulted in the lowest H2 yield, amounting to 111.2 ± 7.6 NmL of H2 g VS−1, due to a decrease of the pH to 4.8, which likely caused an inhibitory effect by undissociated acids. This study demonstrates that dark fermentation can be a valuable strategy to efficiently manage such leftovers, rather than landfilling or improperly treating them.

In an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process treating particulate substrates, the size of solids is expected to negatively affect the rate of hydrolysis step and consequently influence the performance of the whole process. To avoid any disadvantage due to size of solids, expensive pre-treatments aimed at disintegrating and solubilizing substrates are commonly conducted prior to AD. This practice is doubtlessly successful, but not always necessary, since some organic substrates, although particulate, once immersed in water, tend to solubilize immediately. This aspect, if properly considered, could result in saving money and time in the AD process, as well as refining the development and calibration of AD mathematical models. The present study is actually aimed at demonstrating, through experiments and mathematical simulations, different results deriving from the AD process performed, under the same operating conditions, on two different substrates, i.e. homemade pasta and carrot batons, having the same particle size, but different chemical composition and texture. Experimental outcomes highlighted the effect of particles size on bio-methane production only from the bio-methanation potential tests (BMP) conducted on carrot batons. Similar results were obtained by mathematical model calibration, i.e., different kinetic constants for differently-sized carrot batons and same kinetic constant for differently-sized homemade pasta solids.

Abstract This study aimed at maximizing the energy yields from food waste in a three-step conversion scheme coupling dark fermentation (DF), photofermentation (PF) and anaerobic digestion (AD). Continuous H 2 production was investigated over a period of nearly 200 days in a thermophilic semi-continuous DF process with no pH control. The highest H 2 yield of 121.45 ± 44.55 N L H 2 /kg VS was obtained at an organic loading rate of 2.5 kg VS/m 3 /d and a hydraulic retention time of 4 days. The DF effluents mainly contained volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and alcohols as metabolites and un-hydrolyzed solid residues. The supernatant, after separation, was used to recover H 2 in a PF using Rhodobacter sphaeroides . The solid residual fraction along with PF effluent was converted into methane by anaerobic digestion. By combining DF and PF, the H 2 yield from the food waste increased 1.75 fold. Moreover, by adding AD as a post treatment of the DF residue, the total energy yield was substantially increased to reach 5.55 MJ/kg VS food waste added, versus 3.55 MJ/kg VS food waste when applying solely AD.

Abstract The influence of different inoculum pretreatments (pH and temperature shocks) on mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) dark fermentative H2 production from xylose (50 mM) and, for the first time, on the composition of the active microbial community was evaluated. At 37 °C, an acidic shock (pH 3, 24 h) resulted in the highest yield of 0.8 mol H2 mol−1 xylose. The H2 and butyrate yield correlated with the relative abundance of Clostridiaceae in the mesophilic active microbial community, whereas Lactobacillaceae were the most abundant non-hydrogenic competitors according to RNA-based analysis. At 55 °C, Clostridium and Thermoanaerobacterium were linked to H2 production, but only an alkaline shock (pH 10, 24 h) repressed lactate production, resulting in the highest yield of 1.2 mol H2 mol−1 xylose. This study showed that pretreatments differentially affect the structure and productivity of the active mesophilic and thermophilic microbial community developed from an inoculum.