Evaluation of the effect of initial solid matter concentration and season on anaerobic biodegradation of municipal solid wastes

Abstract

The necessity for reduction of fossil fuel consumption and the increasing energy costs drives the interest in development of alternative renewable energies during past years. OFMSW (Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes) is a valuable source, while it can be converted to biogas via anaerobic digestion. In this study The anaerobic digestibility and methane generation potential of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) sampled during three seasons (autumn, winter and summer) of a year were determined using batch bioreactors with varying initial dry solid matter ratios (DM:5-35 %). Batch experiments were carried out both with and without anaerobic inoculum. On the basis of the laboratory results, biogas production potentials were determined to be in the range of 229 - 484 m3/tonDM for experiment using anaerobic inoculum and 84 – 176 m3 /ton DM for experiments without inoculum. The best organic matter combination belongs to autumn season and the best concentration was observed as 20% DM.