Anaerobic digestion of food waste using yeast

Jutarat Suwannarat; Raymond J Ritchie

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2015.04.028

Anaerobic digestion of food waste using yeast

Waste Manag. 2015 Aug:42:61-6. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2015.04.028. Epub 2015 May 16.

Authors

Jutarat Suwannarat¹, Raymond J Ritchie²

Affiliations

¹ Tropical Plant Biology, Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, Kathu, Phuket 83120, Thailand.
² Tropical Plant Biology, Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, Kathu, Phuket 83120, Thailand. Electronic address: raymond.r@phuket.psu.ac.th.

PMID: 25987287
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2015.04.028

Abstract

Fermentative breakdown of food waste seems a plausible alternative to feeding food waste to pigs, incineration or garbage disposal in tourist areas. We determined the optimal conditions for the fermentative breakdown of food waste using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in incubations up to 30days. Yeast efficiently broke down food waste with food waste loadings as high as 700g FW/l. The optimum inoculation was ≈46×10(6)cells/l of culture with a 40°C optimum (25-40°C). COD and BOD were reduced by ≈30-50%. Yeast used practically all the available sugars and reduced proteins and lipids by ≈50%. Yeast was able to metabolize lipids much better than expected. Starch was mobilized after very long term incubations (>20days). Yeast was effective in breaking down the organic components of food waste but CO2 gas and ethanol production (≈1.5%) were only significant during the first 7days of incubations.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Food waste; Yeast (S. cerevisiae).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Refuse Disposal / methods*
Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
Solid Waste / analysis*

Substances

Solid Waste