Enhancement of hydrolysis from co-fermentation of food waste and primary sludge

Sammanfattning: Research about resource recovery from complex waste streams is getting an increased scientific attention since valuable resources can be produced by sustainable biological means. In anaerobic degradation processes, resources such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and biogas are highly coveted. One of the key parameters affecting the yield of resources is the hydrolytic efficiency in the waste stream by hydrolytic bacteria. The aim of this study was to examine how bioaugmentation can be implemented as a strategy to enhance hydrolysis in complex waste streams. In pursuit of this aim, three selected species of hydrolytic bacteria, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides amylophilus and Bacteroides ruminicola were inoculated both in pure culture combinations and bioaugmented with granular sludge as mixed culture in reactors. The studied waste stream was food waste mixed with primary sludge collected from Henriksdals wastewater treatment plant at Stockholm, Sweden.  The highest hydrolytic efficiency (90%) was reached by the pure culture fermented reactor inoculated with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Bacteroides ruminicola. This efficiency was measured at day 10 after reactor set-up. Among the bioaugmented reactors, highest hydrolytic activity (66%) was achieved by the reactor inoculated with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and it was measured at day 10. The increase in hydrolytic efficiency for bioaugmented reactors was slower compared to pure culture fermented reactors and the most probable reason to that is due to competition amongst introduced species and pre-existing mixed culture in granular seed sludge.