A Multiproduct Biorefinery Approach for the Production of Hydrogen, Methane and Volatile Fatty Acids from Agricultural Waste

A pilot scale biorefinery platform for the treatment of agro-waste and the production of hydrogen, methane and volatile fatty acids was studied in real environment. The system adopted was a two stage anaerobic process where hydrogen and volatile fatty acids were produced in the first phase (fermentation) and methane in the second one (digestion). The study demonstrated the possibility to produce a biogas composed by hydrogen and methane (10% and 55%, respectively) while recovering volatile fatty acids. The yield for acids production was equivalent to 0.13 gVFA/gTVS (as COD) with acetate and butyrate as dominant observed species.