Anaerobic co-digestion of municipal sewage sludge and fruit/vegetable waste: effect of different mixtures on digester stability and methane yield

The anaerobic co-digestion of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) and municipal sewage sludge (MSS) is investigated under mesophilic conditions. This was done at a constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) similar to that typically used at waste water treatment plant digesters, 20days. The effects on digester performance of the FVW:MSS ratio and the organic loading rate (OLR) were examined. Initially the digester was fed with MSS from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with an average OLR of 1.03kg(VS)(m(3)d)(-1). The co-digestion of MSS and FVW was performed at various ratios of FVW in the mixture, while increasing the OLRs, from 1.03 to 4.78kg(VS)(m(3)d)(-1). The experimental specific methane production (SMP) was 0.303m(3)(kg(VS))(-1) for MSS and 0.403m(3)(kg(VS))(-1) for FVW as single substrate. This value varied for co-digestion with a maximum of 0.445m(3)(kg(VS))(-1) for a FVW:MSS ratio of 40:60. Alkalinity and pH values remain relatively constant regardless the different FVW:MSS ratios fed. As this ratio increases, the removal of the volatile solids (VS) increased from 38.7% to 82%. The average methane content of digester biogas was about 62-64%.