Influence of carbohydrates and proteins concentration on fermentative hydrogen production using canteen based waste under acidophilic microenvironment.

Functional role of biomolecules viz., carbohydrates and proteins on acidogenic biohydrogen (H(2)) production was studied through the treatment of canteen based composite food waste. The performance was evaluated in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (AnSBR) at pH 6 with five variable organic loading conditions (OLR1, 0.854; OLR2, 1.69; OLR3, 3.38; OLR4, 6.54 and OLR5, 9.85kgCOD/m(3)-day). Experimental data depicted the feasibility of H(2) production from the stabilization of food waste and was found to depend on the substrate load. Among the five loading conditions studied, OLR4 documented maximum H(2) production (69.95mmol), while higher substrate degradation (3.99kgCOD/m(3)-day) was observed with OLR5. Specific hydrogen yield (SHY) vary with the removal of different biomolecules and was found to decrease with increase in the OLR. Maximum SHY was observed with hexose removal at OLR1 (139.24mol/kg Hexose(R) at 24h), followed by pentoses (OLR1, 108.26mol/kg Pentose(R) at 48h), proteins (OLR1, 109.71mol/kg Protein(R) at 48h) and total carbohydrates (OLR1, 58.31mol/kg CHO(R) at 24h). Proteins present in wastewater helped to maintain the buffering capacity but also enhanced the H(2) production by supplying readily available organic nitrogen to the consortia. Along with carbohydrates and proteins, total solids also registered good removal.