In-situ intermittent micro-aeration in food waste and sewage sludge anaerobic co-digestion: Performance, stability, and microbial dynamics

Abstract

Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of sewage sludge (SS) with food waste (FW) is a practical approach in urban areas due to spatio-temporal availability of these co-substrates. While micro-aeration could enhance hydrolysis and control acidification during mono-digestion, the effects of micro-aeration on AcoD remains unclear. This study explored the influence of oxidation–reduction potential (ORP)-based in-situ micro-aeration on AcoD performance of SS and FW. Although mono-digestion of FW failed due to acidification and micro-aeration of SS was unstable due to high solids content and viscosity, micro-aeration improved specific biogas and methane yields by 21.1 % and 13.1 %, respectively, at the FW:SS ratio of 60:40 ((volatile solids (VS) basis). This improvement was observed at an organic loading rate of 2.25 g VS/L·d and alkalinity below 5000 mg CaCO₃/L. The observed positive effect of micro-aeration was accompanied by changes in relative abundance of Aminicenantes. Functional analysis suggested that AcoD was driven by homoacetogenesis and acetoclastic methanogenesis.