Methane Production from Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste

Anaerobic digestion of food waste produced in Ambanja District (Madagascar) is presented, to verify the possibility of producing energy from this biomass, solving, in the same time, the problem of solid waste disposal. Results of biochemical methane potential tests, developed both in presence and absence of other substrates to investigate the possibility of digestion and co-digestion of the selected feedstock, are illustrated and discussed. Tests are developed with and without the addition of pH buffer solution, and the possibility of low-solids digestion of food waste and wastewater from septic tank is assessed too. Results show the potentiality of the treatment in terms of amount of produced methane, but also highlight the necessity of developing the process carefully controlling the pH, and using an appropriate inoculum.