Anaerobic digestion of municipal solid wastes: Dry thermophilic performance

The purpose of this study was to analyze the performance of two laboratory-scale reactors (5.0 L) treating organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW): source sorted OFMSW (SS_OFMSW) obtained from a university restaurant and mechanically selected municipal fraction (MS_OFMSW) obtained from a Municipal Treatment Plant placed in Cadiz-Spain. Discontinuous reactors operated at thermophilic (55 °C) and dry (20% total solid) conditions. Different decomposition patterns were observed: (1) the SS_OFMSW exhibited the classical waste decomposition pattern with a fast start up phase beginning within 0–5 days and 20–30 and a subsequent stabilization phase. The VS removal was 45% with a cumulative biogas of 120 L in approx. 60 days; (2) the MS_OFMSW showed a methanogenic pattern throughout the whole experimental period (60 days) and this gave higher levels of organic biodegradation (56%VSr) and biogas production (82 L). Both processes were completed and a high level of cumulative methane production was achieved in less than 60 days, proximally 25–30 L.