Hydrogen and methane production by co-digestion of waste activated sludge and food waste in the two-stage fermentation process: Substrate conversion and energy yield

Batch experiments were conducted to produce hydrogen and methane from waste activated sludge and food waste by two-stage mesophilic fermentation. Hydrogen and methane production, energy yield, soluble organic matters, volatile solid removal efficiency and carbon footprint were investigated during two-stage digestion at various food waste proportions. The highest energy yield reached 14.0 kJ/g-VS at the food waste proportion of 85%, with hydrogen and methane yields of 106.4 ml-H2/g-VS and 353.5 ml-CH4/g-VS respectively. The dominant VFA composition was butyrate for co-digestion and sole food waste fermentation, whereas acetate was dominate in VFA for sole waste activated sludge fermentation. The VS removal efficiencies of co-digestion were 10–77% higher than that of waste activated sludge fermentation. Only 0.1–3.2% of the COD in feedstock was converted into hydrogen, and 14.1–40.9% to methane, with the highest value of 40.9% in methane achieved at food waste proportion of 85%.