Assessment of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and wastewater solids for sustainable waste management in Yosemite National Park, USA

Burmistrova J, Beutel M, Hestir E, Ryals R, Pandey P. Assessment of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and wastewater solids for sustainable waste management in Yosemite National Park, USA. Bioresource Technology. Submitted Submitted.

Abstract

Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste (FW) from municipal solid waste and wastewater solids (WWS) from domestic wastewater shows potential to enhance methane-rich biogas production at existing wastewater treatment facilities while diverting solid waste from landfills. This study assessed the potential to implement co-digestion of FW and WWS at Yosemite National Park (YNP), which is upgrading its wastewater treatment facilities. A 35-day biochemical methane potential test was performed in triplicate incubations with varying %FW by volatile solids. The anaerobic co-digestion process was stable across all treatments, but methane production rates appeared lowest in 90 and 100 %FW treatments. Specific methane yield increased linearly with increasing %FW with a peak at 75 %FW (239 mL CH4/g VS at day 35), while volumetric methane yield increased exponentially. Results highlight the potential for co-digestion of WWS and FW to enhance methane production and suggest 75 %FW as an upper limit for optimal biogas production for the organic wastes in this study. YNP produces 5.1 million kg/d of WWS and 1.0 million tons of FW waste, yielding a 70 %FW co-digestion feed stock. Co-digesting this feed stock in existing anaerobic digestion facilities would increase methane production from 28,000 m3/yr (WWS only) to 91,000 m3/yr (70 %FW). Harvesting energy from this enhanced methane production via a combined heat and power system could produce enough energy to both heat digestor facilities and power the treatment plant.
Last updated on 07/20/2022