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Lactobacillus inoculation mediated carboxylates and alcohols production from waste activated sludge fermentation

Lan Wu¹, Huu Hao Ngo¹, Chen Wang²

¹Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.

Bioresource Technology

|August 2, 2024

Abstract:

Producing medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) from waste activated sludge (WAS) is crucial for sustainable chemical industries. This study addressed the electron donor requirement for MCFAs production by inoculating Lactobacillus at varying concentrations (7.94 × 10¹⁰, 3.18 × 10¹¹, and 6.35 × 10¹¹ cell/L) to supply lactate internally. Interestingly, the highest MCFAs yield (∼2000 mg COD/L) occurred at the lowest Lactobacillus inoculation. Higher inoculation concentrations redirected more carbon from WAS towards alcohols production rather than MCFAs generation, with up to 2852 mg COD/L alcohols obtained under 6.35 × 10¹¹ cell/L inoculation. Clostridium dominance and increased genes abundance for substrate hydrolysis, lactate conversion, and MCFAs/alcohol production collectively enhanced WAS-derived MCFAs and alcohols synthesis after Lactobacillus inoculation. Overall, the strategy of Lactobacillus inoculation regulated fermentation outcomes and subsequent carbon recovery in WAS, presenting a sustainable technology to achieve liquid bio-energy production from underutilized wet wastes.

Keywords:

Chain elongation Liquid products Metagenomic analysis Self-supplied lactate

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