Abstract

Human development results in billions of tons of waste per year, which contributes to major issues such as pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction. In this study, we explored the impact of bacterial inoculation on volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, volatile solids (VS), and gas output in anaerobic digesters under different substrate treatments. Our results reveal that bacterial inoculation significantly boosts VFA levels, especially acetic acid, with both Caldicellulosiruptor bescii and mixed Caldicellulosiruptor, cultures showing notable differences compared to controls, especially in untreated manure and WAS treatments. Acetic acid and VS/TS increased in untreated WAS when inoculated with C. bescii after 1 day before reaching homeostasis. The untreated manure phase demonstrated a significant decrease in acetic acid production and VS/TS from day 0 to day 1 of MHP, reflecting effective substrate degradation and optimal anaerobic digestion startup. Gas production was notably higher with CB and mixed inoculums, outperforming control samples in untreated WAS and manure. On the other hand, AD treated WAS and manure exhibited minimal variations in VFA, VS/TS, and gas production across. Overall, our findings underscore the effectiveness of bacterial inoculation in enhancing anaerobic digestion performance, improving VFA production, gas output, and VS/TS and suggest that targeted microbial strategies can significantly optimize digestion processes.

Degree

College and Department

Life Sciences; Plant and Wildlife Sciences

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