Unlocking the power of synergy: Cosubstrate and coculture fermentation for enhanced biomethane production

Abstract

The energy crisis, shortage of conventional fuels, and increasing pollution have directed the research toward renewable energy. Methane is one such form of energy that can be used as fuel directly or for electricity generation. It is one of the conventional fuels produced as biogas in triable and rural areas from organic waste using household biogas digesters. However, adapting such technology at commercial and global scales needs to withstand many challenges like purity and quality of methane, yield, cost of production, and efficient utilization of biomass residues. Generally, organic residues from industries and agricultural fields have higher applicability due to availability in abundance but their complex nature slower down the degradation process. In addition, some of the residues are rich in carbon while some are rich in nitrogen which might affect the product yield hence coculture and codigestion are effective approaches to valorize the waste. Coculture provides the possibility to exploit multiple pathways to degrade polymer compounds along with transformation into methane while codigestion might balance the availability of nutrients. The approach has proved promising but commercial exploitation needs further exploration for the compatibility and stability of coculture.