Anaerobic hydrogen production from unhydrolyzed mushroom farm waste by indigenous microbiota

The cultivation of mushrooms generates large amounts of waste polypropylene bags stuffed with wood flour and bacterial nutrients that makes the mushroom waste (MW) a potential feedstock for anaerobic bioH₂ fermentation. MW indigenous bacteria were enriched using thermophilic temperature (55°C) for use as the seed inoculum without any external seeding. The peak hydrogen production rate (6.84 mmol H₂/L-d) was obtained with cultivation pH 8 and substrate concentration of 60 g MW/L in batch fermentation. Hydrogen production yield (HY) is pH and substrate concentration dependent with an HY decline occurring at pH and substrate concentration increasing from pH 8 to 10 and 60 to 80 g MW/L, respectively. The fermentation bioH₂ production from MW is in an acetate-type metabolic path.