Hydrogen Production by the Thermophilic Dry Anaerobic Co-Fermentation of Food Waste Utilizing Garden Waste or Kitchen Waste as Co-Substrate

Abstract

Multicomponent collaborative anaerobic fermentation has been considered a promising technology for treating perishable organic solid wastes and producing clean energy. This study evaluated the potential of hydrogen production by thermophilic dry anaerobic co-fermentation of food waste (FW) with garden waste (GW) or kitchen waste (KW) as co-substrate. The results showed that when the ratio of FW to GW was 60:40, the maximum cumulative hydrogen production and organic matter removal rate reached 85.28 NmL g−1 VS and 63.29%, respectively. When the ratio of FW to KW was 80:20, the maximum cumulative hydrogen production and organic matter removal rate reached 81.31 NmL g−1 VS and 61.91%, respectively. These findings suggest that thermophilic dry anaerobic co-fermentation of FW using GW or KW as co-substrate has a greater potential than single-substrate fermentation to improve hydrogen production and the organic matter removal rate.