Efficiency of Two-Phase Anaerobic Fermentation and the Physicochemical Properties of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste Processed in a Vortex-Layer Apparatus

Pretreatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is a necessary step to accelerate the process of anaerobic digestion in order to avoid rapid acidification and inhibition of methanogenesis. This work shows for the first time the effect of pretreatment in a vortex-layer apparatus (VLA) on the physicochemical properties and characteristics of the anaerobic thermophilic, two-phase fermentation of OFMSW. Pretreatment in a VLA led to a decrease in the amount of fat, an increase in pH, a slight increase in the amount of protein in dry matter, and a change in the density and dry matter content. OFMSW processing in a VLA for 2 min increased the specific yield of biogas and methane by 11.6 and 15.8%, respectively.