Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Biofuels From Food Waste: Applications of Saccharification Using Fungal Solid State Fermentation 1st Edition Antoine Prandota Trzcinski
Biofuels From Food Waste: Applications of Saccharification Using Fungal Solid State Fermentation 1st Edition Antoine Prandota Trzcinski
https://textbookfull.com/product/solid-state-fermentation-
research-and-industrial-applications-susanne-steudler/
https://textbookfull.com/product/advances-in-solid-biofuels-
elias-christoforou/
https://textbookfull.com/product/using-energy-crops-for-biofuels-
or-food-the-choice-annoula-paschalidou/
https://textbookfull.com/product/solid-state-properties-from-
bulk-to-nano-1st-edition-mildred-dresselhaus/
Challenges for Sustainable Solid Waste Management
Lessons from Thailand 1st Edition Chanathip Pharino
(Auth.)
https://textbookfull.com/product/challenges-for-sustainable-
solid-waste-management-lessons-from-thailand-1st-edition-
chanathip-pharino-auth/
https://textbookfull.com/product/handbook-of-food-bioengineering-
volume-3-soft-chemistry-and-food-fermentation-1st-edition-
alexandru-grumezescu/
https://textbookfull.com/product/solid-state-chemistry-and-its-
applications-student-edition-anthony-r-west/
https://textbookfull.com/product/introductory-solid-state-
physics-with-matlab-applications-1st-edition-javier-e-hasbun-
author/
https://textbookfull.com/product/solid-state-chemistry-1st-
edition-frank-hoffmann/
Biofuels from Food Waste
Biofuels from Food Waste
Applications of Saccharification Using
Fungal Solid State Fermentation
Antoine P. Trzcinski
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reason-
able efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher
cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The
authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in
this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not
been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know
so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced,
transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.
copyright.com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
(CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organiza-
tion that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been
granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and
are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
v
vi Contents
3.2.1 Amylases..................................................................... 52
3.2.2 Lignocellulolytic Enzymes.......................................... 54
3.2.3 Pectinolytic Enzymes..................................................60
3.2.4 Proteases...................................................................... 63
3.2.5 Lipases.........................................................................64
3.3 Conclusions...............................................................................66
References.............................................................................................................. 101
Index....................................................................................................................... 121
Author
Antoine P. Trzcinski, PhD, received a PhD from the Chemical Engineering
Department of Imperial College London. Dr. Trzcinski developed a novel process
for producing biogas from municipal solid waste and for the treatment of landfill
leachate. In 2009, he carried out research and development at a pilot scale on the
production of value-added products from algae at Manchester University. He worked
extensively on liquid and solid state fermentation processes using biomass such as
sugarcane bagasse, rapeseed meal, coffee waste, waste glycerol, wheat bran, and
soybean residue for the production of sugars, ethanol, enzymes, and biodiesel using
integrated biorefinery concepts. His research interests include fouling mitigation in
membrane bioreactors, characterization of soluble microbial products, identifica-
tion of bacterial and archaeal strains, pharmaceutical and antibiotic removal from
wastewater, fate of nanoparticles in the environment, and bioelectro stimulation of
microbes to improve bioprocesses through interspecies electron transfer (IET). In
2016, he joined the University of Southern Queensland in Australia as a lecturer and
teaches environmental engineering, environmental engineering practice, hydraulics,
solid and liquid waste treatment, and applied chemistry and microbiology as well as
continuing his research in these fields.
ix
1 Bioconversion of Food
Wastes to Energy
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Food waste (FW) is organic waste discharged from various sources including food
processing plants, and domestic and commercial kitchens, cafeterias, and restau-
rants. According to FAO (2012), nearly 1.3 billion tonnes of foods including fresh
vegetables, fruits, meat, and bakery and dairy products are lost along the food supply
chain. The amount of FW has been projected to increase in the next 25 years due
to economic and population growth, mainly in Asian countries. For example, the
annual amount of urban FW in Asian countries could rise from 278 to 416 million
tonnes from 2005 to 2025 (Melikoglu et al., 2013b). Typical foods wasted in Asia–
Pacific countries and around the world are summarized in Table 1.1 (FAO, 2012).
FW is traditionally incinerated with other combustible municipal wastes for
generation of heat or energy. It should be recognized that FW contains high lev-
els of moisture, which may lead to the production of dioxins during its combustion
together with other wastes of low humidity and high calorific value (Katami et al.,
2004). In addition, incineration of FW can potentially cause air pollution and loss
of chemical values of FW. These suggest that an appropriate management of FW is
strongly needed (Ma et al., 2009a). FW is mainly composed of carbohydrate poly-
mers (starch, cellulose, and hemicelluloses), lignin, proteins, lipids, organic acids,
and a remaining, smaller inorganic part (Table 1.2). Hydrolysis of carbohydrate in
FW may result in the breakage of glycoside bonds with releasing polysaccharides as
oligosaccharides and monosaccharides, which are more amenable to fermentation.
Total sugar and protein contents in FW are in the range of 35.5%–69% and 3.9%–
21.9%, respectively. As such, FW has been used as the sole microbial feedstock for
the development of various kinds of value-added bioproducts, including methane,
hydrogen, ethanol, enzymes, organic acid, biopolymers, and bioplastics (Han and
Shin, 2004; Rao and Singh, 2004; Wang et al., 2005a; Sakai et al., 2006; Yang et al.,
2006; Ohkouchi and Inoue, 2007; Pan et al., 2008; Koike et al., 2009; He et al.,
2012b; Zhang et al., 2013b). Fuel applications ($200–400/ton biomass) usually cre-
ate more value compared to generating electricity ($60–150/ton biomass) and animal
feed ($70–200/ton biomass). Due to inherent chemical complexity, FW also can be
utilized for production of high-value materials, such as organic acids, biodegradable
plastics, and enzymes ($1000/ton biomass) (Sanders et al., 2007). However, it should
be noted that the market demand for such chemicals is much smaller than that for
biofuels (Tuck et al., 2012). Therefore, this chapter intends to review the FW valo-
rization techniques that have been developed for the production of various biofuels,
such as ethanol, hydrogen, methane, and biodiesel.
1
2
TABLE 1.1
Typical Wasted Foods in Several Asia–Pacific Countries and around the Globe
Southeastern New North South
Waste (KT) World Asia Asia Australia Cambodia China Indonesia Japan Malaysia Zealand Korea Philippines Korea Thailand Vietnam
Cereal 95,245 52,374 12,599 1,380 506.1 18,990 4.588 413.4 183.4 28.6 253 215.7 628.4 1,999 2,706
Rice 26,738 22,668 10,792 0.4 506.0 6,046 3.307 139.4 50.2 ND ND 162.7 458.2 1,997 2,478
Sugar 459.9 188.9 151.7 93.6 ND 0.4 ND 20.8 ND ND ND ND ND 151.7 ND
Pulses 2,735 1,134 241.6 36.0 0.9 142.3 38.0 7.1 ND 1.2 10.3 ND 2.0 7.0 8.6
Oil crops 18,424 13,590 2,515 3.9 3.8 9,017 2,238 69.6 1.4 0.1 15.2 ND 12.7 159.4 30.5
Vegetable 616.1 269.3 116.9 ND ND 133.4 ND 13.0 116.9 ND ND ND ND ND ND
oil
Vegetables 81,441 59,949 2,710 54.1 46,9 39,286 755.0 1,224 64.8 73.2 414.2 242.5 1,555 339.5 777.2
Beans 1,049 447.3 218.1 1.1 0.9 49.1 37.2 6.5 ND 0.2 10.3 2.2 1.6 3.7 5.2
Onions 5,891 3,877 186.0 14.6 ND 2,107 99.9 68.1 ND ND 3.5 6.9 139.5 5.5 22.7
Peas 412.7 145.1 2.1 7.2 ND 39.9 ND 0.4 ND 1.1 ND 0.3 0.1 0.1 ND
Tomatoes 12,874 7,415 104.2 ND ND 3,181 85.3 100.7 1.6 9.5 8.3 9.9 57.6 7.3 ND
Potatoes 62,229 12,912 466.1 23.6 ND 7,501 250.0 177 ND 10.9 156.0 34.4 95.3 9.0 83.3
Fruits 53,796 28,328 4,529 30.9 30.5 8,323 2,706 749 89.1 43.4 153.5 1,183 276.6 786.4 531.0
Apples 5,742 4,116 13.2 5.9 ND 3,192 3.1 84.6 ND 22.4 72.8 3.8 49.0 1.2 5.1
Bananas 13,532 8,544 1,896 5.4 7.8 949.3 637.4 213.0 56.1 7.6 ND 901.3 ND 153.7 137
Coconuts 3,038 2,488 2,159 ND ND 20.5 2,066 ND 1.3 ND ND 7.8 ND 69.1 0.9
Pineapples 1,829 579 431.9 ND 2.2 97.7 ND 15.4 ND 0.3 ND 109.9 2.8 189.5 50
Coffee 105.0 33.3 28.3 ND ND 0.033 20.9 ND 0.6 ND ND 6.4 ND ND ND
Milk 16,560 10,887 183.3 ND 1.6 1,447 45 ND 3.8 164.8 4.9 ND 42.4 25.2 9.5
(Continued)
Biofuels from Food Waste
TABLE 1.1 (Continued)
Typical Wasted Foods in Several Asia–Pacific Countries and around the Globe
Southeastern New North South
Waste (KT) World Asia Asia Australia Cambodia China Indonesia Japan Malaysia Zealand Korea Philippines Korea Thailand Vietnam
Cream 33.9 0.1 ND ND ND 0.1 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND
Butter 84.0 1.7 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND 23.1 ND
Animal fats 174.1 1.8 ND ND ND 0.1 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND
Meat 1,184 183.2 ND ND ND ND ND 107.2 ND ND ND ND 107.2 23.1 ND
Offal 63.0 19.6 ND 8.7 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND
Poultry meat 97.5 61.2 ND ND ND ND ND 34.5 ND ND ND ND ND 23.1 ND
Annual waste 0.184 ND 0.130 0.277 0.173 0.061 0.130 0.129 0.113 0.280 0.211 0.130 0.098 0.130 0.130
production
per capita
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy
(T)
Population 7,067 4,175 610 22.9 14.5 1,354 237.6 127.5 29.6 4.5 24.6 92.3 50.0 65.9 88.8
(millions)
Total FW 1300a 278b ≥79.3a ≥6.34a 2.50c 82.80d ≥30.90a 16.40d 3.36a,e ≥1.25a 5.19d ≥12.00a 4.91d ≥8.6a ≥11.55a
(MT)
Source: Reprinted from Fuel, 134, Uçkun, K. E. et al., Bioconversion of food waste to energy: A review, 389–399, Copyright 2014c, with permission from Elsevier.
Note: FW: food waste, T: ton, KT: kilotons, MT: million tonnes.
a Gustafsson et al. (2011)
c Seng (2010)
d OECD (2007)
TABLE 1.2
Composition of Mixed Food Waste
Moisture Total Solid Volatile Solid Total Sugar Starch Cellulose Lipid Protein Ash References
79.5 20.5 95.0 NA NA NA NA 21.9 NA Han and Shin (2004)
84.1 15.9 15.2 NA NA NA NA NA NA Kim et al. (2004)
80.0 20.0 93.6 NA NA NA NA NA 1.3 Kwon and Lee (2004)
85.0 15.0 88.5 NA NA 15.5 8.5 6.9 11.5 Rao and Singh (2004)
79.1 20.9 93.2 NA NA NA NA NA NA Ramos et al. (2012)
75.9 24.1 NA 42.3 29.3 NA NA 3.9 1.3 Ohkouchi and Inoue (2006)
87.1 12.9 89.5 NA NA NA NA NA NA Kim et al. (2008c)
80.8 19.2 92.7 NA 15.6 NA NA NA NA Pan et al. (2008)
80.3 19.7 95.4 59.8 NA 1.6 15.7 21.8 1.9 Tang et al. (2008)
82.8 17.2 89.1 62.7 46.1 2.3 18.1 15.6 NA Wang et al. (2008a)
75.2 24.8 NA 50.2 46.1 NA 18.1 15.6 2.3 Wang et al. (2008b)
85.7 14.3 98.2 42.3 28.3 NA NA 17.8 NA Zhang et al. (2008)
82.8 17.2 85.0 62.7 46.1 2.3 18.1 15.6 NA Ma et al. (2009a)
61.3 38.7 NA 69.0 NA NA 6.4 4.4 1.2 Uncu and Cekmecelioglu (2011)
4.4 35.6 NA NA NA NA 8.8 4.5 1.8 Cekmecelioglu and Uncu (2013)
81.7 18.3 87.5 35.5 NA NA 24.1 14.4 NA He et al. (2012a)
81.5 18.5 94.1 55.0 24.0 16.9 14.0 16.9 5.9 Vavouraki et al. (2012)
81.9 14.3 98.2 48.3 42.3 NA NA 17.8 NA Zhang and Jahng (2012)
Source: Reprinted from Fuel, 134, Uçkun, K. E. et al., Bioconversion of food waste to energy: A review, 389–399, Copyright 2014c, with permission
from Elsevier.
Total solid, total sugar, starch, cellulose, lipid, protein, and ash contents are given in wt% on the basis of dry weight. Volatile solid contents are given as
the %VS ratio on total solid basis.
Biofuels from Food Waste
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy 5
1.2.1 Pretreatments
Harsh pretreatment may not be necessary during the conversion of FW to ethanol
prior to enzymatic hydrolysis (Kumar et al., 1998; Tang et al., 2008). Instead, auto-
clave of FW before fermentation is often required for improving product yield and
purity, but at the cost of energy and water consumption. It should be noted that ther-
mal treatment may lead to partial degradation of sugars and other nutritional compo-
nents, as well as side reactions (e.g., Maillard reactions) through which the amounts
of useful sugars and amino acids are reduced (Sakai and Ezaki, 2006). Moreover,
fresh and wet FW appear to be more effective than rewetted dried FW (Kim et al.,
2005). This is mainly due to the decreased specific surface area of the dried sub-
strate, resulting in a decrease in the reaction efficiency between the enzymes and
substrate. Therefore, the utilization of FW without a drying pretreatment is preferred
as long as microbial contamination is manageable. Without thermal sterilization,
acidic condition is needed to prevent microbial contamination and putrefaction (Ye
et al., 2008a; Koike et al., 2009). As such, acid-tolerant ethanol-producing micro
organisms such as Zymomonas mobilis have been employed for the fermentation of
FW (Tao et al., 2005; Wang et al., 2008a).
1.2.2 Saccharification
The conversion efficiency of FW to ethanol depends on the extent of carbohydrate
saccharification as yeast cells cannot ferment starch or cellulose directly into bioeth-
anol (Tubb, 1986). A mixture of α-amylase, β-amylase, and glucoamylase of various
origins is more effective for substrates with higher molecular weight. Pullulanase has
also been added to the list of saccharifying enzymes recently (Tomasik and Horton,
2012). As a direct endo-acting debranching enzyme, pullulanase can specifically
catalyze the hydrolysis of α-1,6-glucosidic linkages of branched polysaccharides
(e.g., pullulan, dextrin, amylopectin, and related polymers), resulting in the release of
linear oligosaccharides. Small fermentable sugars (e.g., maltose, amylose, glucose,
6 Biofuels from Food Waste
(Continued)
8
Source: Reprinted from Fuel, 134, Uçkun, K. E. et al., Bioconversion of food waste to energy: A review, 389–399, Copyright 2014c, with permission from Elsevier.
Note: NR: not reported, FW: food waste, KW: kitchen waste, RS: reducing sugar, Y: yield, P: productivity, Simultaneous: simultaneous saccharification fermentation,
Separate: separate saccharification fermentation, fb: fed-batch.
Biofuels from Food Waste
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy 9
and cell recycle through sedimentation or membrane retention (He et al., 2012a).
Recombination of bioethanol-producing strains with the amylase-producing gene
or the development of new strains with improved ethanol tolerance has also been
reported (Li et al., 2011). However, stability of the recombinant gene has not yet been
proven. Cell recycling has been known to significantly improve the performance of
the continuous fermentation process (Wang and Lin, 2010).
1.3.1 Substrate Composition
Hydrogen production potential of carbohydrate-based waste was reported to be 20
times higher than that of fat-based and protein-based waste (Show et al., 2012). This
was partially attributed to the consumption of hydrogen toward ammonium using
nitrogen generated from protein biodegradation. Kim et al. (2010) reported that the
H2 yield was maintained at around 0.5 mol H2/mol hexose at the C/N ratio lower
than 20, while the H2 yield was found to drop at higher C/N ratio because of the
increased production of lactate, propionate, and valerate. The H2 yield was signifi-
cantly enhanced and reached to 0.9 mol H2/mol hexose when the C/N ratio was bal-
anced with an alkaline shock.
10
TABLE 1.4
Hydrogen Production from Food Waste
Y
OLR (mol/ Y P
Duration HRT (kg VS/ OLR (kg mol (mL/g (g H2/
Waste Vessel Type Pretreatment Microorganism (day) (day) m3d) COD/m3) Hexose) VS) Lh) References
FW Leaching bed None HSSS 7 5 NR NR NR 160 NR Han and Shin
reactor with 3.8 L (2004)
working vol.
FW with 415 mL bottle with None HSSS 3 Batch NA NA 0.9 67 9.9 Kim et al. (2004)
sludge 200 mL working
vol.
FW 715 mL bottle with None Acidogenic 6 Batch NA NA 1.8 92 6.8 Shin et al. (2004)
500 mL working culture from
vol. CSTR
FW Bioreactor with 3 L None Anaerobic SS 5 NR 8 NR 2.2 125 3.8 Shin and Youn
working vol. (2005)
FW Bioreactor with 3 L None Anaerobic SS 60 5 3 NR 2.4 NR NR Youn and Shin
working vol. (2005)
FW CSTR with 10 L None SS 150 1.3 38.4 64.4 NR 283 19.9 Chu et al. (2008)
working vol.
FW 1 L bioreactor with None Anaerobic SS 2 Batch NA NA NR 57 NR Pan et al. (2008)
500 mL working
vol.
FW 7.5 L bioreactor Heat pretreatment SS 3 Batch NA NA 2.05 153.5 19.2 Kim et al.
with 3 L working (90°C 20 min) (2008c)
vol.
(Continued)
Biofuels from Food Waste
TABLE 1.4 (Continued)
Hydrogen Production from Food Waste
Y
OLR (mol/ Y P
Duration HRT (kg VS/ OLR (kg mol (mL/g (g H2/
Waste Vessel Type Pretreatment Microorganism (day) (day) m3d) COD/m3) Hexose) VS) Lh) References
FW ASBR with 4.5 L None HSSS NR SRT: 5.25 NR NR 1.12 80.9 10.2 Kim et al.
working vol. HRT: (2008a)
1.25
KW Bioreactor with 1 L None SS 2 Batch NA NA NR NR 1.0 Lee et al. (2008)
working vol.
FW Rotating drum with None None 30 4 22.65 NR NR 65 NR Wang and Zhao
200 L working (2009)
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy
vol.
Apple 150 mL bioreactor Enzymatic HSSS 2 Batch NA NA NR 134 NR Wang et al.
pomace with 100 mL pretreatment (2010a)
working vol.
FW CSTR 500 L Heat pretreatment HSSS 90 21 NR 12.3–71.3 1.82 NR NR Lee et al. (2010a)
working vol. (100°C 30 min)
KW CSTR with 20 L None SS 59 4 NR NR NR NR 7.1 Lee et al. (2010b)
working vol.
FW SCR with 10 L None HSSS 96 1.9 NR 39 2.5 114 41.3 Lee et al. (2010b)
working vol.
FW ASBR with Alkaline HSSS 200 36 NR NR 0.9 NR NR Kim et al. (2010)
0.15 m3 working pretreatment
vol. (pH 12.5, 1 d)
(Continued)
11
12
Source: Reprinted from Fuel, 134, Uçkun, K. E. et al., Bioconversion of food waste to energy: A review, 389–399, Copyright 2014c, with permission from Elsevier.
Note: FW: food waste, KW: kitchen waste, Y: yield, P: productivity, ASBR: anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, SBR: sequencing batch reactor, SS: seed sludge, HSSS:
heat shocked seed sludge, NR: not reported, NA: not applicable.
Biofuels from Food Waste
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy 13
1.3.2 Pretreatments
Typically, mixed cultures have been employed for H2 production from waste materi-
als. However, hydrogen generated by Clostridium and Enterobacter is often readily
consumed by hydrogenotrophic bacteria (Li and Fang, 2007). Seed biomass is gener-
ally pretreated with heat to suppress hydrogen consumers (Elbeshbishy et al., 2011).
FW itself can be a source of H2-producing microflora. Kim et al. (2008a) have applied
several pretreatments to select microflora for hydrogen production. Lactic acid bacte-
ria are the most abundant species in untreated FW, while H2-producing bacteria are
dominant in the pretreated FW. Heat treatment is effective for suppressing lactate
production and increasing H2/butyrate production. However, heat treatment is likely
to increase costs in large-scale operations. Luo et al. (2010) investigated different
pretreatment methods of inoculums, and concluded that pretreatment would only
have short-term effects on hydrogen production, and the pretreatment is not very
crucial (Wang and Zhao, 2009).
influencing the fermentation efficiency. It had been reported that the optimum pH
for H2 production from organic waste ranged from 4.5 to 6.5 (Kyazze et al., 2007).
The accumulation of fermentation products, that is, CO2, increases the acidity and
then inhibits the microbial growth. Such fermentation products can be removed from
the fermentation medium by simple gas sparging and mixing. The addition of alka-
line or inoculum recycling are also frequently used for pH control (Li and Fang,
2007; Lee et al., 2008; Wang and Zhao, 2009; Kim et al., 2010; Lee et al., 2010a,b).
Compared to the addition of alkali, sludge recirculation is an economically pref-
erable approach for pH control. The long-term stability of a continuous two-stage
process was maintained by recirculating high-alkalinity sludge, for example, at a
OLR of 39 g COD/L d and HRT of 1.9 d, the system was stabilized at 2.5 mol H2/
mole hexose, 114 mL H2/g VS, and 462.5 mL H2/L h over a period of 96 days (Lee
and Chung, 2010).
The bioconversion yield of FW to H 2 production is low, for example, only about
33% of COD in organic materials can be harvested as H 2, while most of the energy
content in the feedstock mainly end up as organic acids, such as acetic, lactic, and
butyric acids. In other words, actual H 2 yield is much smaller than its theoretical
value of 12 mol H 2/mol glucose (Kim and Kim, 2013). As a result, the commercial
value of organic acids—particularly lactic acid—should be further explored. To
improve economic viability of the bioconversion process, H 2 production should
also be combined with the methane, organic acids, and ethanol production pro-
cesses (Lin et al., 2013). Kyazze et al. (2007) reported that the efficiency of the
H 2 production process was improved using the two-stage H 2-methane production
process. Lee et al. (2010a) reported the feasibility of continuous H 2 and CH4 fer-
mentation in a two-stage process using sludge recirculation from the sludge stor-
age tank (denitrification + digestion sludge storage) in a full-scale system. Even
so, only 2.5 mol H 2/mol hexose was obtained due to the limitations of anaerobic
metabolism.
Alternatively, photo-fermentation has also been explored for the conversion of
organic acids to H2. In order to increase the overall H2 yield, a combined dark- and
photo-fermentation system has been proposed. In this process, lactic acid produced
from FW is utilized by photo-fermentative bacteria, particularly purple non-sulfur
bacteria and finally converted to H2 while the remaining residue is converted to CH4
(Show et al., 2012). Overall, via the three-stage fermentation system, 41% and 37%
of the energy content in the FW could be harvested as H2 and CH4, respectively, cor-
responding to the electrical energy yield of 1146 MJ/ton FW (Kim and Kim, 2013).
Lee and Chung (2010) conducted a cost analysis of hydrogen production from FW
using two-phase hydrogen/methane fermentation, and suggested that the abundance
and low cost of FW makes it economically more feasible than the other sources for
H2 production. However, the economic feasibility of process applications from FW
is dependent on the cost of FW collection. Besides, hydrogen production processes
should be combined with an ancillary process, such as methane fermentation, to
achieve complete treatment and disposal of FW. Last, it should also be recognized
that the technological and economic challenges associated with the fermentative H2
production and its purification, storage, and distribution may also slow down the
wide application of bio H2 as green energy.
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy 15
TABLE 1.5
Methane Production from Food Wastes
OLR Biogas CH4
OLR (kg Yield Yield
Process Duration HRT (kg VS/ COD/ (mL/g (mL/g Efficiency
Waste Microorganism Pretreatment Type Vessel Type (days) (days) m3d) m3d) VS) VS) %CH4 (VS, %) References
Fruit and Cow manure None Two stage Bioreactor 29 1 1–9 NR NR 530 70 95.1 Mtz.
vegetable with 0.5 L Viturtia
waste working vol. et al.
(1989)
FW Anaerobic SS Freeze drying Two stage UASB with 120 NR 1.04 7–9 NR 277–482 NR 90 Cho et al.
of waste 8 L working (1995)
vol.
FW Anaerobic SS None Two stage Continuous 90 NR 7.9 NR NR 440 70 70 Lee et al.
pilot scale (1999)
5 tons/d
capacity
Fruit and Anaerobic SS None Single Serum bottles 100 Batch NA NA NR 180–732 NR NR Gunaseelan
vegetable stage with 135 mL (2004)
waste vol.
FW and Anaerobic SS None Single Semi 250 13 2.43 4.71 NR 321 64.4 55.8 Heo et al.
activated stage continuous (2004)
sludge reactor with
3.5 L
working vol.
(Continued)
Biofuels from Food Waste
TABLE 1.5 (Continued)
Methane Production from Food Wastes
OLR Biogas CH4
OLR (kg Yield Yield
Process Duration HRT (kg VS/ COD/ (mL/g (mL/g Efficiency
Waste Microorganism Pretreatment Type Vessel Type (days) (days) m3d) m3d) VS) VS) %CH4 (VS, %) References
Potato Anaerobic SS None Two stage Packed bed 38 NR NR 1–3 NR 390 82 NR Parawira
waste with 1 L et al.
working vol. (2005)
FW Anaerobic SS None Two stage Bioreactor 60 20 8 NR NR NR 68.8 86.4 Youn and
with 12 L Shin
working vol. (2005)
FW Bacteria None Single 3 stage semi 30 12 NR NR NR NR 67.4 NR Kim et al.
Bioconversion of Food Wastes to Energy
The nests of many of these little bees are rich in honey, and they
have a host of enemies from man and monkeys downwards; and as
they do not defend themselves by stinging, it might be supposed
they would have but a poor time of it. From the accounts that have
been published we may, however, gather that they are rich in
devices for the protection of their nests, and for the exclusion of
intruders. Bates has given some particulars as to Melipona interrupta
(fasciculata); it is about one-third shorter than the hive-bee, and its
colonies are composed of an immense number of individuals. The
workers are usually occupied in gathering pollen; but they also
collect clay in a similar manner, and convey it to the nest, where it is
used for building a wall to complete the fortification of the nest, which
is placed either in a suitable bank, or in a trunk of a tree; in either
situation it is completely built in with clay. A nest which Bates saw
opened contained about two quarts of pleasantly-tasted liquid honey.
Forty-five species of these little bees were found in different parts of
the Amazons Valley, the largest kind being half an inch in length, the
smallest very minute, not more than one-twelfth of an inch. These
little creatures are thus masons as well as workers in wax and resin,
and they are also gatherers of nectar, pollen, and resin.
The honey-bee, Apis mellifica (Fig. 6), is considered the highest form
attained by the Anthophilous division of the Hymenoptera. The
differentiation of the three forms, male, female, and worker, is here
carried to a greater degree of perfection than in the other bees. The
drones are the males; the individuals we see gathering honey are
always workers, neither the male nor the female in this species
taking any part in procuring food for themselves or for the colony. In
addition to this the colonies formed may be described as permanent:
they do not come to an end at the close of one season, and
provision is made for the formation of a new colony while the old one
still persists, by means of a peculiar process called swarming. The
life-history of Apis mellifica and its anatomy and physiology have
been discussed in a whole library of works, and we need only notice
the chief features. When a swarm of bees leaves a hive it consists of
the queen-bee or female, and a number of workers, these latter
being, in fact, the surplus population that has been produced in the
hive. The swarm is not a nuptial flight, as is often supposed, but an
act of emigration. When this swarm has been housed, the bees
commence operations in their new quarters, by secreting wax; they
are enabled to do this by having consumed much saccharine food;
the wax is produced by means of glands in the hind-body over the
inner faces of the ventral plates of the abdominal rings, and it makes
its appearance there, after passing from the interior of the body
through some peculiar membranes on the ventral segments, in the
form of thin projecting plates. These the bee takes off with an
apparatus on the hind pair of legs and applies, after working up with
the mandibles, to form the cells in which young ones are to be
reared and food stored. A large number of bees working in common
thus produce the regular and beautiful structure known as the comb;
the queen afterwards lays an egg in each cell, and as these soon
hatch, great labour is thrown on the workers, which have then to
feed the young; this they do by eating honey and pollen, which,
being formed into a sort of pap by a portion of their digestive organs,
is then regurgitated and given to the young, a quantity of it being
placed in the cell, so that the larva is bathed by it, and possibly may
absorb the food by the skin as well as the mouth. When the colony is
in good progress and young bees emerge, these act as nurses, the
older ones cease to prepare food and act as foragers, bringing in
honey and pollen which are each stored in separate cells. The larva
in the cell increases its size and sheds a very delicate skin several
times; when the larva has reached its full size no more food is
supplied, but the worker-bees seal up the cell by means of a cover
formed of pollen and wax, in such a manner as to be pervious to air:
sealed up in the cell the larva spins a cocoon for itself, remains
therein for a little time as a larva, then changes to a pupa, and
thereafter bites its way out through the cover of the cell, and appears
for the first time as a new being in the form of a worker-bee; the
whole process of development from the egg-state to the perfect
condition of the worker-bee occupies about three weeks.
When the denizens of a hive are about to produce another queen,
one or more royal cells are formed; these are much larger than the
ordinary worker-cells, and of a quite different form. In this cell is
placed an egg, not differing in any respect from the egg that, if
placed in an ordinary cell, produces a worker; when the egg has
produced a larva this is tended with great care and fed throughout its
life with royal jelly. This food appears to be the same as that supplied
to an ordinary worker-larva when it is first hatched; but there is this
difference, that whereas the worker-larva is weaned, and supplied,
after the first period of its existence, with food consisting largely of
honey, pollen and water, the queen-larva is supplied with the pap or
royal jelly until it is full grown. Some difference of opinion exists as to
this royal jelly, some thinking that it is a different substance from
what the workers are fed with; and it is by no means improbable that
there may be some difference in the secretion of the glands that
furnish a part of the material composing the pap. The queen is
produced more rapidly than workers are, about sixteen days being
occupied in the process of her development. Only one queen is
allowed in a hive at a time; so that when several queen-cells are
formed, and queen-larvae nurtured in them, the first one that is
developed into a perfect queen goes round and stings the royal
nymphs to death while they are still in their cells. The production of
drones is supposed to depend chiefly on the nature of the egg laid
by the queen; it being considered that an unfertilised egg is
deposited for this purpose. There is still some doubt on this point,
however. Though there is no doubt that drones are produced in great
numbers from unfertilised eggs, yet there is not evidence that they
cannot also be produced from fertilised eggs.[38] The drone-cells are
somewhat larger than the ordinary worker-cells, but this is probably
not of much import, and it is said that the larvae intended to produce
drones receive a greater proportion of pap than worker-larvae do:
about twenty-four days are required to produce a drone from the
egg.
From this sketch it will be seen that the production of the worker (or
third sex, as it is improperly called, the workers being really females
atrophied in some points and specially developed in others) is
dependent on the social life, in so far at any rate as the special
feeding is concerned. There is good reason for supposing that A.
mellifica has been kept in a state of domestication or captivity for an
enormous period of time; and this condition has probably led to an
increase of its natural peculiarities, or perhaps we should say to a
change in them to suit a life of confinement. This is certainly the case
in regard to swarming, for this process takes place with comparative
irregularity in Apis mellifica in a wild condition. The killing of
superfluous queens is also probably a phenomenon of captivity, for it
varies even now in accordance with the numbers of the colony. It is
interesting to notice that in confinement when a swarm goes from the
hive it is the old queen that accompanies it, and this swarm as a rule
settles down near the old hive, so that the queen-bee being already
fertilised, the new swarm and its subsequent increase are nothing
but a division of the old hive, the total products of the two having but
a single father and mother. When a second swarm goes off from a
hive it is accompanied by a young queen, who frequently, perhaps,
in the majority of cases, is unfertilised; this swarm is apt to fly for
long distances, so that the probability of cross-fertilisation is greatly
increased, as the fertilisation of the young new queen is effected
during a solitary flight she makes after the colony has settled down.
But in a state of nature the colonies do not send off swarms every
year or once a year, but increase to an enormous extent, going for
years without swarming, and then when their home is really filled up
send off, it may be presumed, a number of swarms in one year. Thus
the phenomena of bee-life in a wild condition differ considerably from
those we see in artificial confinement. And this difference is probably
greatly accentuated by the action of parasites, the proportions of
which to their guests are in a state of nature liable to become very
great; as we have seen to be the case in Bombus.
The queen-bee greatly resembles the worker, but has the hind body
more elongated; she can, however, always be distinguished from the
worker by the absence of the beautiful transverse, comb-like series
of hairs on the inner side of the first joint of the hind foot, the planta,
as it is called by the bee-keeper: she has also no wax plates and
differs in important anatomical peculiarities. The male bee or drone
is very different, being of much broader, more robust build, and with
very large eyes that quite meet in the middle of the upper part of the
head: he also has the hind leg differently shaped. The form of this
limb enables the male of A. mellifica to be distinguished from the
corresponding sex of allied species of the genus.
This division of Hymenoptera includes the true wasps, but not the
fossorial wasps. The name applied to it has been suggested by the
fact that the front wings become doubled in the long direction when
at rest, so as to make them appear narrower than in most other
Aculeata (Fig. 27). This character is unimportant in function so far as
we know,[40] and it is not quite constant in the division, since some of
the Masaridae do not exhibit it. The character reappears outside the
Diploptera in the genus Leucospis—a member of the Chalcididae in
the parasitic series of Hymenoptera—the species of which greatly
resemble wasps in coloration. A better character is that furnished by
the well-marked angle, formed by the pronotum on the dorsal part
(Fig. 26). By a glance at this part a Diplopterous Insect can always
be readily distinguished.
Claws of the feet toothed or bifid; middle tibiae with only one
spur at tip. Social assemblages are not formed, and there is no
worker-caste, the duties of nest-construction, etc., being
performed solely by the female.
This Insect provisions its cell with small caterpillars to the number of
twenty or upwards (Fig. 28, A.) The egg is deposited before the nest
is stocked with food; it is suspended in such a manner that the
suspensory thread allows the egg to reach well down towards the
bottom of the cell. The caterpillars placed as food in the nest are all
curled up, each forming a ring approximately adapted to the calibre
of the cell. Fabre believes these caterpillars to be partly stupefied by
stinging, but the act has not been observed either by himself,
Réaumur, or Dufour. The first caterpillar is eaten by the wasp-larva
from its point of suspension; after this first meal has been made the
larva is supposed to undergo a change of skin; it then abandons the
assistance of the suspensory thread, taking up a position in the
vacant chamber at the end of the cell and drawing the caterpillars to
itself one by one. This arrangement permits the caterpillars to be
consumed in the order in which they were placed in the cell, so that
the one that is weakest on account of its longer period of starvation
is first devoured. Fabre thinks all the above points are essential to
the successful development of this wasp-larva, the suspension
protecting the egg and the young larva from destruction by pressure
or movement of the caterpillars, while the position of the larva when
it leaves the thread and takes its place on the floor of the cell
ensures its consuming the food in the order of introduction; besides
this the caterpillars used are of a proper size and of a species the
individuals of which have the habit of rolling themselves up in a ring;
while, as the calibre of the tube is but small, they are unable to
straighten themselves and move about, so that their consumption in
proper order is assured. Some interesting points in the habits of an
allied species, O. (Pterocheilus) spinipes have been observed by
Verhoeff; the facts as regards the construction and provisioning of
the cell are almost the same as in O. reniformis. The species of
Odynerus are very subject to the attacks of parasites, and are, it is
well known, destroyed to an enormous extent by Chrysididae.
Verhoeff says that the wasp in question supplied food much infested
by entoparasites; further, that a fly, Argyromoeba sinuata, takes
advantage of the habit of the Odynerus of leaving its nest open
during the process of provisioning, and deposits also an egg in the
nest; the Odynerus seems, however, to have no power of
discovering the fact, or more probably has no knowledge of its
meaning, and so concludes the work of closing the cell in the usual
way; the egg of the Argyromoeba hatches, and the maggot produced
feeds on the caterpillars the wasp intended for its own offspring.
Verhoeff observed that the egg of the wasp-larva is destroyed, but
he does not know whether this was done by the mother
Argyromoeba or by the larva hatched from her egg. Fabre's
observations on allied species of Diptera render it, however, highly
probable that the destruction is effected by the young fly-larva and
not by the mother-fly.
Mr. R. C. L. Perkins once observed several individuals of our British
O. callosus forming their nests in a clay bank, and provisioning them
with larvae, nearly all of which were parasitised, and that to such an
extent as to be evident both to the eye and the touch. In a few days
after the wasps' eggs were laid, swarms of the minute parasites
emerged and left no food for the Odynerus. Curiously, as it would
seem, certain of the parasitised and stored-up larvae attempted (as
parasitised larvae not infrequently do), to pupate. From which, as Mr.
Perkins remarks, we may infer that (owing to distortion) the act of
paralysing by the wasp had been ineffectual. Mr. Perkins has also
observed that some of the numerous species of Hawaiian Odynerus
make a single mud-cell, very like the pot of an Eumenes, but
cylindrical instead of spherical. This little vessel is often placed in a
leaf that a spider curls up; young molluscs of the genus Achatinella
also avail themselves of this shelter, so that a curious colony is
formed, consisting of the Odynerus in its pot, of masses of the young
spiders, and of the little molluscs.
Claws of the feet simple, neither toothed nor bifid, middle tibiae
with two spurs at the tip. Insects living in societies, forming a
common dwelling of a papery or card-like material; each
generation consists of males and females and of workers—
imperfect females—that assist the reproductive female by
carrying on the industrial occupations.