Characterization of food waste and empty fruit bunches (EFB) for anaerobic digestion application

Abstract

Food waste (FW) and empty fruit bunches (EFB) possess a great potential to be used for anaerobic digestion process, as these two biomasses are rich in biodegradable organic matter, in which its contents play an important role in determining the efficiency of the digestion process. In this study, the elemental compositions, nutrients content, and lignocellulosic content of Malaysian FW and EFB were determined by running several procedures and were compared to past literatures which also used similar feedstock for anaerobic digestion; to determine whether the biomasses used in this study could lead to better performance of anaerobic digestion. Elemental analysis of the FW showed that the C/N ratio ranged from 4.45 to 15.45, within the optimum range as defined by past studies. For EFB, the C/N ratio was similar to FW, making EFB suitable to be mixed with FW for optimum anaerobic digestion conditions. Nutrients analysis of the FW showed that FW Types A and D, rice waste and food waste mixture respectively, possessed the most balanced carbohydrates, proteins and lipids nutrients for optimum digestion. Lignocellulosic analysis of the EFB also proved that its contents were favourable to be used in anaerobic digestion; high cellulose content, low lignin content.