Enhanced anaerobic digestion of food waste by the addition of cobalt iron oxide.

AbstractIn this study, the impact of cobalt iron oxide(CoFe2O4) on the anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste (FW) was investigated including the variations in pH, VFAs, ORP, Fe2+/Fe3+ concentrations, SCOD, dehydrogenase activity, methane production and microbial community structure. The results showed that CoFe2O4 had a positive effect on the anaerobic digestion of food waste. CoFe2O4 could promote the release of SCOD, increase the dehydrogenase concentration and reduce ORP resulting in an increase of methane production. At a CoFe2O4 concentration of 200 mg/L, the cumulative methane production reached to 414.75 mL/(gVS) which was increased by 79.1% compared to the control group(231.59 mL/(gVS)). Meanwhile, the variation of microbial community showed that CoFe2O4 could increase the relative abundance of Methanobacterium and the methane production pathway in the AD was shifted from acetoclastic to hydrogenotrophic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]