Organic Industrial Wastewater Research Articles

The electrocatalytic degradation of 1,4-dioxane by Co-Bi/GAC particle electrode.

Efficient degradation of industrial organic wastewater has become a significant environmental concern. Electrochemical oxidation technology is promising due to its high catalytic degradation ability. In this study, Co-Bi/GAC particle electrodes were prepared and characterized for degradation of 1,4-dioxane. The electrochemical process parameters were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM), and the influence of water quality factors on the removal rate of 1,4-dioxane was investigated. The results showed that the main influencing factors were the Co/Bi mass ratio and calcination temperature. The carrier metals, Co and Bi, existed mainly on the GAC surface as Co3O4 and Bi2O3. The removal of 1,4-dioxane was predominantly achieved through the synergistic reaction of electrode adsorption, anodic oxidation, and particle electrode oxidation, with ·OH playing a significant role as the main active free radical. Furthermore, the particle electrode was demonstrated in different acid-base conditions (pH = 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11). However, high concentrations of Cl- and NO3- hindered the degradation process, potentially participating in competitive reactions. Despite this, the particle electrode exhibited good stability after five cycles. The results provide a new perspective for constructing efficient and stable three-dimensional (3D) electrocatalytic particle electrodes to remove complex industrial wastewater.

Process Energy and Material Consumption Determined by Reaction Sequence: From AAO to OHO

The anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (AAO) process is one of the most widely used processes for treating industrial organic wastewater, and it has shown significant effectiveness in the removal of organic compounds, as well as denitrification and phosphorus removal. However, for the treatment of industrial organic wastewater, this anaerobic preposition and aerobic postposition process has exposed various limitations. Therefore, for this type of wastewater, the oxic-hydrolytic and denitrification-oxic (OHO) treatment process has been proposed and developed based on the principles of three-sludge separation and fluidization. This study integrated operational data from 203 coking wastewater treatment plants worldwide, and the two-step nitrification-denitrification activated sludge model No.3 (TCW-ASM3) was used for comparative analysis of the pollutant removal efficiency and total operating cost of the AAO process and the OHO process in the face of characteristic pollutants in coking wastewater. The results indicate that the full-scale OHO process achieved removal efficiencies of up to 3784 mg/L for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 297 mg/L for total nitrogen (TN). The theoretical total cost for OHO and AAO were 9.75 and 14.38 CNY/m3, respectively. The pre-treatment aerobic process effectively reduces the biological toxicity of high-toxicity and refractory industrial wastewater, and the three-sludge system provides a stable living space for functional microorganisms, the combination of multi-mode denitrification processes offers new possibilities for treating similar types of industrial wastewater.

Mechanism of targeted adsorption and specific action of bone char on ionic organic pollutants: An analysis based on differences in physicochemical properties

Adsorption is a widely recognized and effective method for treating high-concentration organic industrial wastewater. Bone char (BC) is a promising adsorbent for removing ionic organic pollutants (IOPs) from printing and dyeing wastewater due to its advantageous adsorption properties. To analyze BC's targeted adsorption and specific action mechanism on IOPs, the author first elucidated the physicochemical properties of BC under different preparation conditions. Subsequently, the study compared the targeted adsorption efficacy of BC on various types and molecular structures of IOPs. Through correlation analysis, feature importance analysis, and consideration of the properties of the target substance, the study investigated the targeted adsorption laws of BC for IOPs. Lastly, for substances with specific adsorption characteristics, range analysis, structure–activity relationship analysis, and quantitative analysis of adsorption mechanisms were employed to elucidate the action mechanism of BC. The results indicate that the differences in physicochemical properties (especially CEC and pH) caused by the inorganic mineral components of BC and the number of conjugated double bonds in the molecular structure of IOPs are key factors determining the adsorption effect. Controlling BC's pore structure and electrical conductivity based on the aggregates' conjugated double bonds and particle size can improve adsorption outcomes. The hierarchy of preparation factors influencing the adsorption performance of BC is pyrolysis temperature > particle size > pyrolysis atmosphere. The adsorption of malachite green (MG) by BC primarily involves chemical reactions, including mineral complexation effect (52.38 %), electrostatic interaction (24.76 %), π-π interaction (8.15 %), metal ion exchange (8.12 %), and physical pore filling (6.59 %). It is speculated that the primary interaction mechanism between BC and MG is through cation-π bonds formed between metal cations dissociated from the inorganic mineral components of BC and MG, facilitated by strong electrostatic interaction. The findings offer a theoretical basis for the practical utilization of BC in adsorbing IOPs.

Efficient osmotic energy recovery from organic wastewater using a two-dimensional porphyrin-based metal-organic frameworks membrane

Harvesting osmotic energy plays a crucial role in addressing the global depletion crisis of fossil energy and achieving a structural transformation in energy. However, current research predominantly focuses on osmotic energy stored in natural seawater, with relatively little attention given to other saline sources such as industrial wastewater. In this study, a two-dimensional Cu-TCPP metal-organic framework (MOFs) nanosheet was prepared, and a nanofluidic membrane with high osmotic energy recovery efficiency from industrial organic saline wastewater was constructed. In a LiCl methanol solution system with a 100-fold salinity gradient, the Cu-TCPP membrane achieved a stable power density of 4.87 W/m2. Simulation analysis suggests that the membrane's efficient ion-selective transport in the organic system can be primarily attributed to abundant diffusion pathways, including intrinsic pores in the nanosheet and two-dimensional nanochannels between adjacent nanosheets. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of the nanochannel membrane and the type of solvent and ions significantly impact osmotic energy recovery efficiency in organic solvents. This work provides a novel approach to the treatment and resource utilization of industrial organic wastewater in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Graphene aerogel-doped CoFe2O4/MoS2 sheets for magnetic oil absorption and the degradation of contaminants

In recent years, oil spills and the discharge of industrial organic wastewater have not only damaged society and the economy, but also have had a negative impact on the human environment. The composition of oily wastewater is complex and hazardous. It mainly comprises insoluble organic substances and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. It exists in the form of oil–water mixtures, freely suspended emulsions, and stable emulsions containing surfactants. The shortage of fresh water resources and how to effectively separate oil and water present serious challenges to the scientific community. In this study, we designed a graphene aerogel with magnetic oil-absorbing functionality, which not only has emulsion-breaking functionality, but also can repeatedly adsorb organic pollutants. More importantly, it exhibits a strong Fenton catalytic effect and can effectively degrade pollutants. The aerogel designed in this research integrates adsorption, catalysis and degradation, and exhibits excellent purification of wastewater containing pollutants such as dyes, antibiotics and aromatic hydrocarbons, providing a novel insight into the treatment of oily wastewater.

Built-in electric field accelerates photogenerated carrier separation in vanadium-oxygen doped C3N4 for flash degradation of methylene blue: Experimental and molecular simulations

Flash photodegradation of organic pollutants at high concentrations is an urgent need for industrial organic wastewater treatment. Situ high-energy wet ball milling is adopted to fabricate the vanadium-oxygen doped carbon nitride catalysts to implement the flash degradation of methylene blue (MB). The experimental results indicated that the photocatalyst degradation ratio of MB was higher than 90% in 3 min under visible-light irradiation 300 W, catalyst dosage 0.2 g/L and MB concentration of 100 mg/L. MB removal rate was nearly 20 times higher than that of primitive carbon nitride. Vanadium-oxygen doping was beneficial to the reduction of band gap less than 2.0 eV and the formation of built-in electric field. It is notable notice that both valence band and conduction band of catalyst were tuned to be in positive potential region, benefiting for holes (h+) formation to boost the flash degradation of contaminants. Strong electrophilic attack of h+ caused the bonds of C-S+=C and CN-C broken, triggering the aromatic ring opened to decompose into smaller molecules.

The synergistic catalytic mechanism between different functional sites of boron/iron on iron oxides in Fenton-like reactions

The detoxification and harmless treatment of toxic organic industrial wastewater are essential guarantees for the global water environment and human life safety. As an important treatment technology for this wastewater, the advanced oxidation process is limited by the catalytic rate due to the low reduction rate, and the modulation and acceleration of electron transfer at the catalytic sites become the focus and difficulty in this field. Herein, we synthesized boron-doped iron oxide (FeOx-B) to enhance the interfacial electron transfer during peroxymonosulfate (PMS) catalysis, resulting in efficient degradation (91.73 %) of the contaminant (TTCH, Tetracycline hydrochloride). Compared with the commercial Fe2O3 and Fe3O4, the removal rate of TTCH is improved by 47.89 % and 24.45 %, respectively. As a new active site, B-O interacts with the contaminant and accelerates the reduction of Fe (III). The reactive species also change from sulfate radical (SO4−), hydroxyl radical (OH), and singlet oxygen (1O2) to surface reactive complexes. The system is pH-adaptive (pH = 3–11) and presents excellent resistance to humic acid (HA) and anions (10 mM). Toxicity assessment reveals that the degradation products are low toxic or harmless. This work suggests a new strategy for the development of highly reactive iron-based materials and provides theoretical insights into the mechanism of the PMS activation processes.

Simultaneous removal of As(III) and organics in Fenton fluidized bed: The favorable co-crystallization of As(V) and Fe(III)

This study has demonstrated that the Fenton fluidized bed (FFB) technology could successfully immobilize As ions on the iron-crystallized (IC) carriers, with simultaneous crystallization of ferric and mineralization of organic pollutants. It was found that rapid fluidized immobilization of aqueous As(V) on the IC carriers was through surface favorable bidentate complexion, while the adsorptive removal of As(III) was rather slow. Adding Fe3+ caused competitive complexion and inhibited the As(V) immobilization. However, effective oxidative crystallization of Fe(II) and As(III) in FFB would take place. With the simultaneous generation of As(V) and Fe(III) by rapid •OH oxidation, two different crystalline precursors would be formed on the IC carriers, leading to efficient co-crystallization of As(V)/Fe(III). Recursive Fe(III) crystallization in the FFB continuously provided essential surface hydroxyl groups for capturing As(V), inducing layer-by-layer co-crystallized immobilization As(V)/Fe(III). The long-term continuous-flow treatment of a practical As(III)-containing industrial organic wastewater exhibited effective/stable co-crystallizations of As(V)/Fe(III), as well as COD removal. The FFB technology is expected to be a good option in treating complex industrial wastewater containing heavy metal and recalcitrant organic pollutants.

Fabrication of S-PBI cation exchange membrane with excellent anti-fouling property for enhanced performance in electrodialysis

A novel anti-fouling cation exchange membrane (CEM) of sulfonated polybenzimidazole (S-PBI) was fabricated by the polymer bulk grafting modification of poly (4,4′-diphenyl ether-5,5′-bibenzimidazole) with sodium styrene sulfonate. FTIR, TGA, XPS, SEM and AFM were used to characterize membrane properties and the results showed that the ion exchange capacity and hydrophilicity of S-PBI increased with increased degrees of grafting and the electric resistance decreased accordingly. When the mass ratio of O-PBI/SSS was 1:4, the electric resistance of S-PBI-4.0 was 4.5 Ω·cm2, while the ion exchange capacity was 2.3 meq/g. The ED experiment with the S-PBI-4.0 membrane exhibited good desalination rate (>96 %), high current efficiency (80.73 %) and low energy consumption (1.13 kW·h/kg), which were very close to the results of a commercial CEM (Neosepta CMX). What's more, because of its good hydrophilicity, the S-PBI-4.0 membrane had better anti-fouling ability than Neosepta CMX, which was manifested as less resistance increase after membrane fouled by bovine serum albumin and smaller resistance after membrane cleaned by deionized water. These results demonstrate that the S-PBI-4.0 membrane is an appropriate candidate CEM and helpful to expand the application of ED in high-salinity organic industrial wastewater treatment.

Industrial Organic Wastewater through Drip Irrigation to Reduce Chemical Fertilizer Input and Increase Use Efficiency by Promoting N and P Absorption of Cotton in Arid Areas

The use of industrial waste as an agricultural resource is important for clean and sustainable agriculture. We assumed that industrial organic wastewater coupled with chemical fertilizer would increase cotton yield by enhancing nutrients absorption and utilization. To test this hypothesis, a two-year (2019–2020) field trial was conducted to assess the impacts of CK (0 kg ha−1), chemical fertilizer (CF) (N-P2O5-K2O: 228-131-95 kg ha−1), chemical fertilizer + organic wastewater (F0.6 (60%CF + OW: 1329 kg ha−1), F0.8 (80%CF + OW), F1.0 (CF + OW), F1.2 (120%CF + OW) and F1.4 (140%CF + OW)) on nutrient absorption and distribution, fertilizer use efficiency and cotton yield under drip irrigation system. Compared with CF, the soil organic matter, NH4+-N and AV-K increased significantly after F0.8-F1.4 treatments. The absorption of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) by plants after dripping organic wastewater (F0.8-F1.4) increased by 1.1–11.2% as compared with CF (F0.6, CF < F0.8, F1.0 < F1.2, F1.4). Under F0.8, treatment resulted in a higher distribution rate of N, P and K in reproductive organs compared with other counterparts. In addition, drip application of organic wastewater promoted the absorption of magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) in leaves and Fe in roots with higher translocation of Zn and boron (B) to reproductive organs compared with other treatments. The absorption of N, P and K was positively correlated with Mg, negatively correlated with calcium (Ca) and sulfur (S), and positively correlated with manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe). The yield and fertilizer utilization rate of cotton were higher at F0.8. Conclusively, the use of 1329 kg ha−1 organic wastewater (organic mattered ≥ 20%, humic acid ≥ 20 g L−1, Bacillus subtilis ≥ 2 × 108 L−1) combined with chemical fertilizer (N-P2O5-K2O) at (182-104-76 kg ha−1) reduces the application of chemical fertilizer and can increase utilization efficiency of chemical fertilizer with a high cotton yield under mulch drip irrigation in arid regions.

Enhanced anaerobic reduction of nitrobenzene at high salinity by betaine acting as osmoprotectant and regulator of metabolism

Anaerobic technology is extensively applied in the treatment of industrial organic wastewater, but high salinity always triggers microbial cell dehydration, causing the failure of the anaerobic process. In this work, betaine, one kind of compatible solutes which could balance the osmotic pressure of anaerobic biomass, was exogenously added for enhancing the anaerobic reduction of nitrobenzene (NB) at high salinity. Only 100 mg L−1 betaine dosing could significantly promote the removal efficiency of NB within 35 h at 9% salinity (36.92 ± 4.02% without betaine and 72.94 ± 6.57% with betaine). The relieving effects on salt stress could be observed in the promotion of more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion with betaine addition. Additionally, the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), as well as the electron transfer system (ETS) value, was increased with betaine addition, which was reflected in the improvement of system removal efficiency and enzyme activity. Microbial community analysis demonstrated that Bacillus and Clostridiisalibacter which were positively correlated with the stability of the anaerobic process were enriched with betaine addition at high salinity. Metagenomic analysis speculated that the encoding genes for salt tolerance (kdpB/oadA/betA/opuD/epsP/epsH) and NB degradation (nfsA/wrbA/ccdA/menC) obtained higher relative abundance with betaine addition under high salt environment, which might be the key to improving salt tolerance of anaerobic biomass. The long-term assessment demonstrated that exogenous addition betaine played an important role in maintaining the stability of the anaerobic system, which would be a potential strategy to achieve a high-efficiency anaerobic process under high salinity conditions.

Z‐scheme CuSbS2/ZnO Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of RhB

AbstractThe heterojunction structure photocatalysts are very promising for photocatalytic degradation dyes to resolve the organic industrial wastewater. In this work, an effective and solar light‐driven Z‐scheme heterojunction photocatalyst CAS/ZnO was prepared by two steps microwave irradiation method. The ZnO nanosheets were successfully compounded with CAS tetragonal particles aggregate. As the ZnO concentration increased, the absorbance decreased but the specific surface area increased. Rhodamine B (RhB) was tested for photodegradation by photocatalysts under a solar simulation in 120 min, and 3 M displayed the highest degradation rate (100 %), highest rate constant (0.021 min−1) and optimum stability. Furthermore, the main reactive species were superoxide radicals (O2−.) and hydroxyl radicals (HO⋅). Also, mechanism of the Z‐scheme migration of photon‐generated carrier and photocatalytic degradation was proposed. This paper provides a new Z‐scheme heterojunction CAS/ZnO photocatalyst for the treatment of organic pollutants.

Economy, Exergy, energy consumption and environmental human toxicity potential assessment of vacuum extractive distillation coupled pervaporation process for separating Acetone/Isopropanol/Water Multi-azeotropes system

Industrial wastewater from the catalytic hydrogenation of acetone to isopropanol contains multi-azeotropes. It is difficult to purify acetone and isopropanol by traditional distillation, and the treatment capacity and potential economic benefits are huge. The process design of the sustainable development of vacuum extractive distillation coupled with pervaporation technology to separate the industrial organic wastewater from ACT hydrogenation to IPA has changed the sequence of separation of the multi-azeotrope system with sustainable development and reduced the energy consumption and energy consumption of the multi-azeotrope separation for resource recovery. The comprehensive economic cost enhances the evaluation of the environmental human toxicity to the wastewater separation and discharge process. Based on the strict design specifications of the chemical system process simulation software, the sequential iterative method is utilized to simulate the design and optimization of the chemical separation process. The EHH2O-EG process achieved a reduction of 7.40% (TAC), 7.51% (energy consumption and GWP), and 7.36% (HTP) compared with the EHEG-H2O process in terms of the economy, exergy, environmental assessment, energy consumption, and human toxicity potential, and EHH2O-EG process is better than EHEG-H2O process. This novel separation process provides a novel idea for process optimization, and is the best designing and separating sustainable process for promoting green chemical wastewater discharge treatment. It has significantly superior instructive for the design of selecting different solvents to separate multi-component azeotropes. The value of this research is investigated competitive and cost-effective in the current chemical industry for the production of rubber additives, bisphenol A and polycarbonate, isopropyl alcohol pharmaceuticals, and cumene to achieve the progressive goal of carbon neutralization.

Bio-augmentation of the filler-enhanced denitrifying sulfide removal process in expanded granular sludge bed reactors

Sulfur- and nitrogen-containing organic industrial wastewaters, which primarily result from several processes, including pharmaceutical, slaughter, papermaking, and petrochemical processes, are typical examples of refractory wastewaters. To ensure resource utilization, sulfur compounds at high concentrations in such wastewaters can be converted to elemental sulfur through specific methods. Specifically, the denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) process can be employed to effectively recover elemental sulfur via biological sulfide oxidation, and reportedly, bio-augmentation presents as an effective strategy by which the challenges that limit the application of the DSR process can be overcome. However, the bacterial loss resulting from microorganism activity inhibition owing to toxic effect of high sulfide concentration as well as the complexity of the organic matter (carbon source) in actual wastewater environments reduce the actual elemental sulfur production rate. In this regard, the bio-augmentation effect of adding fillers under complex carbon source conditions was studied. The structure and function of the microbial community on the surface of the fillers were also analysed to reveal the internal factors that contributed to the increased efficiency of elemental sulfur generation. The results obtained showed that relative to the control, elemental sulfur generation increased 1.5- and 2-fold following the addition of fillers and fillers with microbial inoculants, respectively. Further, in the reactor with the added filler, the dominant bacteria in the biofilm on the filler surface were Pseudomonas and Azoarcus, while in reactor with added fillers plus microbial inoculates, the dominant bacteria in the biofilm on the filler surface were Pseudomonas and Arcobacter. These findings indicated that bio-augmentation promoted the expression of sulfur oxidation functional genes. Furthermore, adding Pseudomonas sp. gs1 for bio-augmentation improved the impact load resistance of the biofilm on the surface of the filler, leading to the rapid restoration of the elemental sulfur generation rate after the impact.

Study on the Electrochemical Technology and Nanotechnology of Composite Electrode Used as An Alternative to Ultraviolet Light

Advanced oxidation technology has the advantage of being able to efficiently degrade refractory organics, and plays an important role in the treatment of industrial organic wastewater. The article analyses its role in the purification of organic wastewater by the electrochemical method of polymer composite nano-titanium dioxide. The oxygen evolution potential of the nano titanium dioxide electrode is up to 2.8V, showing excellent electrochemical performance. Didache, Si/BDD, Nb/BDD, It/BDD electrodes and surface-modified BDD electrodes can generate strong oxidizing hydroxyl radicals on the surface of the electrodes, which are organic to phenols, dyes, pesticides, and surfactants. The degradability of wastewater is strong. Nano-titanium dioxide electrodes can degrade a variety of organic matter, with a current efficiency of >90%, and can completely mineralize organic matter. Nano-titanium dioxide electrodes have good application prospects in organic wastewater treatment.

Bioelectrochemically assisted sustainable conversion of industrial organic wastewater and clean production of microalgal protein

Chlorella vulgaris, one of the single cell protein sources, is a promising alternative to address the ever-growing demand for food-quality protein. Efforts have been made to overcome the high production costs by using wastewater for the cultivation of C. vulgaris. However, direct use of wastewater poses threats to the safety of applying the obtained biomass for food and animal feed. This study applied a novel three-chamber microalgal-bio-electrochemical systems for simultaneous clean cultivation of C. vulgaris and treatment of industrial organic wastewater. Results demonstrated that the removal of COD (38.7–66.8%) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN, 49.8–69.0%) improved with the increase of electric current in both anode and cathode chambers. Meanwhile, comparable phosphorus removal rates of 34.2–48.5% were achieved in all operation modes. Through nutrients migration, the middle chamber recovered 34.4–39.4% TKN, 16.8–47.3% phosphorus, and acetate from the wastewater to support a mixotrophic growth of C. vulgaris. Moreover, increasing electric current promoted higher dry algal biomass weight (0.87–1.11 g L−1), higher protein content (320.8–552.1 mg Protein g−1 Biomass), and larger cell size (enlarged up to 151.2%) than the control. Nevertheless, the ratio of protein content decreased with the increase of cell size due to the prior accumulation of other compounds under mixotrophic growth. This study provides a sustainable approach for the conversion from industrial organic wastewater to clean production of microalgal protein.

고농도 유기성 산업폐수 처리를 위한 복극층 전극반응기의 적정처리조건 탐색

고농도 유기성 산업폐수 처리를 위한 복극층 전극반응기의 적정처리조건 탐색

Biodegradation of real industrial wastewater containing ethylene glycol by using aerobic granular sludge in a continuous-flow reactor: Performance and resistance mechanism

The application of aerobic granular sludge in continuous-flow treatment of real organic industrial wastewater has been a current research hotspot. This research explored the feasibility of real ethylene glycol wastewater treatment by aerobic granular sludge in a continuous-flow process. In this study, an 80-day continuous-flow reactor operation was established to investigate the toxic effects of ethylene glycol industrial wastewater on aerobic granular sludge and the resistance mechanism of aerobic granules during long-term operation. Results revealed that after 40 days of domestication, the degradation rate of COD for 2000 ± 150 mg/L remained above 85 % and EG concentration was below the detection limit. Flow cytometry results showed that the toxicity of ethylene glycol to cells was mainly reflected in the destruction of cell membranes, leading to the decline of the microbial activity. Long-term exposure to ethylene glycol industrial wastewater would reduce the mechanic strength of aerobic granules. Through metagenomic sequencing technology, it was confirmed that the ability to metabolize organic matter and the defense function were improved by microorganisms in aerobic granules during the process, however, the productivity of cells was reduced, and both the intracellular repair and cytoskeleton synthesis of AGS were inhibited. Based on the KEGG database, a metabolic network of ethylene glycol from granular sludge microorganisms was reconstructed.

Research Progress of Membrane Bioreactor in Organic Industrial Wastewater Treatment

The paper expounds the membrane bioreactor (MBR) working principle, process type and technical characteristics, and reviews the application of membrane bioreactor in the treatment of petrochemical wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater, printing wastewater in recent years, and summarizes and analyzes the problems in the application of the MBR and the solutions. Finally, the future research on the membrane bioreactor treatment of organic industrial wastewater is prospected.

Anaerobic Conversion of Biodegradable Municipal Solid Waste to Biogas: A Review

Huge quantity of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generated daily. This waste comprises a biodegradable portion which can be converted into biogas (bioenergy) by anaerobic digestion (AD). This study reviews MSW and its management, AD feedstock and their characteristics, factors affecting biogas production in a biodigester and anaerobic co-digestion of Organic Fraction of MSW (OFMSW) with other substrates. Municipal solid waste is managed through waste diversion (reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery) and waste disposal (controlled incineration, landfilling and controlled dumping). AD feedstock includes agricultural waste/residues, animal wastes, energy crops, food waste, forestry crops and residues, organic industrial waste and wastewater, weeds, aquatic algae, sewage and OFMSW. The essential factors that influence the production of biogas are temperature, pH, mixing rate, carbon/nitrogen ratio, organic loading rate, micro and macro-nutrient availability, retention time, nature of the feedstock and digester type. Anaerobic co-digestion of OFMSW with other substrates results in improved AD process stability, enhanced biogas productivity, maximization of the capacity of available feedstock for anaerobic digestion. It is also a cost-effective and improved technique to optimize anaerobic digestion process via the increase in nutrients and bacterial variety in substrates. The generation rate and composition of MSW, as well as the characteristics of OFMSW feedstock for anaerobic digestion, are required for the design of a full-scale biodigester for municipal use. The information provided in this review is invaluable to researchers, governments, industries and other stakeholders interested in anaerobic conversion of biodegradable solids to bioenergy.