Bio-CH4 yield of swine manure and food waste optimized by co-substrate proportions diluted in domestic sewage and pH interactions using the response surface approach

Abstract

This research aimed at evaluating optimal conditions to obtain value-added metabolites, such as bio-CH4, by co-digesting swine manure and food waste diluted in domestic sewage. The assays were carried out in batches using the statistical methods of Rotational Central Composite Design (RCCD) and Surface Response to evaluate the ranges of food waste (1.30–9.70 gTS.L−1), pH (6.16–7.84) and granular Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket sludge as inoculum (2.32–5.68 gTS.L−1), besides about 250 mL of swine manure in 500 mL Duran flasks. According to the RCCD matrix, bio-CH4 yields among 600.6 ± 60.1 and 2790.0 ± 112.0 mL CH4 gTS.L−1 were observed, besides the maximum CH4 production rate between 0.4 ± 0.5 and 49.7 ± 2.0 mL CH4 h−1 and λ between ≤0.0 and 299.3 ± 4.5 h. In the validation assay, the optimal conditions of 9.98 gTS.L−1 of food waste, pH adjusted to 8.0 and 2.20 gTS.L−1 of inoculum were considered, and the bio-CH4 yield obtained (5640.79 ± 242.98 mL CH4 gTS.L−1 or also 5201.83 ± 224.07 mL CH4 gTVS.L−1) was 11.3 times higher than in assays before optimization (499.3 ± 16.0 mL CH4 gTS.L−1) with 5 gTS.L−1 of food waste, 3 gTS.L−1 of inoculum and pH 7.0. Besides, the results observed about the energetic balance of the control and validation assays highlight the importance of process optimization, as this condition was the only one with energy supply higher than the energy required for its operation, exceeding max consumption sevenfold. Based on the most dominant microorganisms (Methanosaeta, 31.06%) and the metabolic inference of the validation assay, it could be inferred that the acetoclastic methanogenesis was the predominant pathway to CH4 production.