Efficient production of hydrogen through bioaugmentation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste by the newly isolated Clostridium sartagoforme SA1.

Abstract

Bio-hydrogen from organic waste holds promise as renewable energy. However, its large-scale production is limited by technical challenges, with low H₂ yields and the absence of robust microbial strains being the major ones. To address these limitations, H₂-producing microbes have been isolated from a full-scale anaerobic digestor treating complex organic waste. Clostridium sartagoforme SA1 was selected because of high H₂ yields from glucose, soluble starch, and carboxymethylcellulose. The strain was then tested for H₂ production from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), rich in starch and cellulose, with productions up to 55 mLH₂ g/VS. Additionally, C. sartagoforme SA1 confirmed high H₂ performances even in the presence of OFMSW's indigenous microflora, increasing the H₂ yield by 38 % and highlighting its robustness in a highly competitive environment. This is the first report describing the efficient adoption of a C. sartagoforme strain for bioaugmentation of non-sterile OFMSW towards high H₂ yields.