LAUSR

This study investigated the impact of different granular activated carbon (GAC) loadings and inoculum enrichment on acidogenic fermentation of food waste in a leachate bed reactor (LBR) operated at a high volumetric organic loading of 49 g VS/Lreactor. LBR with a high GAC loading of 0.51 g GAC/g VSfood waste achieved hydrolysis yield of 620 g SCOD/kg VSadded, significantly (P≤0.05) higher to that obtained for LBRs with low or no GAC loading. A high GAC loading also resulted in a higher acidification yield of 507 g CODSCFA/kg VSadded. Butyrate dominated the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) composition by constituting 57-60% of total SCFA at high GAC loadings, while the composition of acetate (38-40%) and butyrate (36-38%) were similar at lower GAC loadings. Inoculum enrichment further improved the hydrolysis and acidogenesis yields by 10-22% resulting in the final hydrolysis yield of 683 g SCOD/kg VSadded and acidification yield of 617 g CODSCFA/kg VSadded.