Optimizing Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste

In Canada every year, approximately 20% of the food produced becomes waste and food waste is Canada’s largest residual municipal solid waste category. Despite diversion strategies like composting, 28% of residential and 25% of industrial, commercial, and institutional solid waste is comprised of food waste and landfilled or incinerated. Food waste can be converted to valuable resources, for example anaerobic digestion relies on the activity of diverse groups of microbes to degrade food waste and convert it to biogas, which can be used in a similar manner to natural gas, and fertilizers useful for crop production. Although a useful technology, improvements to the anaerobic digestion process is possible by gaining a greater understanding of the relationship between various food waste feedstocks and the metabolic activity of different microbial groups. This project will analyze production of markers of microbial metabolism, lactic acid and volatile fatty acids, in response to different types of food waste. A greater understanding of the complex biological and chemical reactions occurring in anerobic digesters will lead to greater capacity to treat food waste and to increase the value of the biogas and fertilizer products via increased yields.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rob Nicol

Student:

Partner:

Generate Upcycle

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Utilities

University:

Lambton College of Applied Arts and Technology

Program: