Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates

The present study investigates a two-stage process aimed at producing biogas from food waste leachates (FWL) through an experimental approach. The first stage involves biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF), while the second focuses on biomethane production through anaerobic digestion (AD...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ioannis Kontodimos, Christos Evaggelou, Nikolaos Margaritis, Panagiotis Grammelis, Maria Goula
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Methane
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0389/4/2/11
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850167628726796288
author Ioannis Kontodimos
Christos Evaggelou
Nikolaos Margaritis
Panagiotis Grammelis
Maria Goula
author_facet Ioannis Kontodimos
Christos Evaggelou
Nikolaos Margaritis
Panagiotis Grammelis
Maria Goula
author_sort Ioannis Kontodimos
collection DOAJ
description The present study investigates a two-stage process aimed at producing biogas from food waste leachates (FWL) through an experimental approach. The first stage involves biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF), while the second focuses on biomethane production through anaerobic digestion (AD). The substrate consists of leachates derived from fruit and vegetable waste, which are introduced into two continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTR1) with two different inoculum-to-substrate ratios (ISR). Dark fermentation occurs in these reactors. The effluent from the CSTRs is then fed into two additional reactors for methanogenesis. All reactors operated under mesophilic conditions. During the DF stage, hydrogen yields were relatively low, with a maximum of 8.2 NmL H<sub>2</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.3) and 6.1 NmL H<sub>2</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.5). These results were attributed to limited biodegradation of volatile solids (VS), which reached only 21.9% and 23.6% in each respective assay. Similarly, the removal of organic matter was modest. In contrast, the AD stage demonstrated more robust methane production, achieving yields of 275.2 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.3) and 277.5 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.5). The system exhibited significant organic matter degradation, with VS biodegradability reaching 66%, and COD removal efficiencies of 50.8% (ISR = 0.3) and 60.1% (ISR = 0.5). The primary focus of the study was to monitor and quantify the production of the two biofuels, biohydrogen and biomethane. In conclusion, this study provides an assessment of the two biochemical conversion pathways, detailing the generation of two valuable and utilizable gaseous products. This research examines the process-specific operational conditions governing gas production, with a focus on optimizing process parameters to enhance yield and overall efficiency.
format Article
id doaj-art-63b343c41c2347b783e23ac4a45d6feb
institution OA Journals
issn 2674-0389
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Methane
spelling doaj-art-63b343c41c2347b783e23ac4a45d6feb2025-08-20T02:21:10ZengMDPI AGMethane2674-03892025-05-01421110.3390/methane4020011Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste LeachatesIoannis Kontodimos0Christos Evaggelou1Nikolaos Margaritis2Panagiotis Grammelis3Maria Goula4Center for Research and Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CERTH/CPERI), 4 km N.R Ptolemaidas-Mpodosakeiou Hospital Area, 50200 Ptolemaida, GreeceCenter for Research and Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CERTH/CPERI), 4 km N.R Ptolemaidas-Mpodosakeiou Hospital Area, 50200 Ptolemaida, GreeceCenter for Research and Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CERTH/CPERI), 4 km N.R Ptolemaidas-Mpodosakeiou Hospital Area, 50200 Ptolemaida, GreeceCenter for Research and Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CERTH/CPERI), 4 km N.R Ptolemaidas-Mpodosakeiou Hospital Area, 50200 Ptolemaida, GreeceLaboratory of Alternative Fuels and Environmental Catalysis (LAFEC), Department of Chemical Engineering of the University of Western Macedonia (UOWM), 50100 Kozani, GreeceThe present study investigates a two-stage process aimed at producing biogas from food waste leachates (FWL) through an experimental approach. The first stage involves biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF), while the second focuses on biomethane production through anaerobic digestion (AD). The substrate consists of leachates derived from fruit and vegetable waste, which are introduced into two continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTR1) with two different inoculum-to-substrate ratios (ISR). Dark fermentation occurs in these reactors. The effluent from the CSTRs is then fed into two additional reactors for methanogenesis. All reactors operated under mesophilic conditions. During the DF stage, hydrogen yields were relatively low, with a maximum of 8.2 NmL H<sub>2</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.3) and 6.1 NmL H<sub>2</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.5). These results were attributed to limited biodegradation of volatile solids (VS), which reached only 21.9% and 23.6% in each respective assay. Similarly, the removal of organic matter was modest. In contrast, the AD stage demonstrated more robust methane production, achieving yields of 275.2 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.3) and 277.5 NmL CH<sub>4</sub>/g VS added (ISR = 0.5). The system exhibited significant organic matter degradation, with VS biodegradability reaching 66%, and COD removal efficiencies of 50.8% (ISR = 0.3) and 60.1% (ISR = 0.5). The primary focus of the study was to monitor and quantify the production of the two biofuels, biohydrogen and biomethane. In conclusion, this study provides an assessment of the two biochemical conversion pathways, detailing the generation of two valuable and utilizable gaseous products. This research examines the process-specific operational conditions governing gas production, with a focus on optimizing process parameters to enhance yield and overall efficiency.https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0389/4/2/11food wastedark fermentationbiohydrogenanaerobic digestionbiomethane
spellingShingle Ioannis Kontodimos
Christos Evaggelou
Nikolaos Margaritis
Panagiotis Grammelis
Maria Goula
Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates
Methane
food waste
dark fermentation
biohydrogen
anaerobic digestion
biomethane
title Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates
title_full Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates
title_fullStr Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates
title_full_unstemmed Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates
title_short Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion for H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Production, from Food Waste Leachates
title_sort dark fermentation and anaerobic digestion for h sub 2 sub and ch sub 4 sub production from food waste leachates
topic food waste
dark fermentation
biohydrogen
anaerobic digestion
biomethane
url https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0389/4/2/11
work_keys_str_mv AT ioanniskontodimos darkfermentationandanaerobicdigestionforhsub2subandchsub4subproductionfromfoodwasteleachates
AT christosevaggelou darkfermentationandanaerobicdigestionforhsub2subandchsub4subproductionfromfoodwasteleachates
AT nikolaosmargaritis darkfermentationandanaerobicdigestionforhsub2subandchsub4subproductionfromfoodwasteleachates
AT panagiotisgrammelis darkfermentationandanaerobicdigestionforhsub2subandchsub4subproductionfromfoodwasteleachates
AT mariagoula darkfermentationandanaerobicdigestionforhsub2subandchsub4subproductionfromfoodwasteleachates