Efficient production of hydrogen through bioaugmentation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste by the newly isolated Clostridium sartagoforme SA1

[Display omitted] •H2-producing microbes have been isolated from a full-scale anaerobic digestor.•Two selected Clostridium sp. were tested for H2 production from benchmark substrates.•C. sartagoforme SA1 was adopted for H2 production from complex organic wastes.•C. sartagoforme SA1 achieved 55 mLH2/gVS from sterilized organic waste.•C. sartagoforme SA1 bioaugmentation of organic waste increased H2 yield by 40%. Bio-hydrogen from organic waste holds promise as renewable energy. However, its large-scale production is limited by technical challenges, with low H2 yields and the absence of robust microbial strains being the major ones. To address these limitations, H2-producing microbes have been isolated from a full-scale anaerobic digestor treating complex organic waste. Clostridium sartagoforme SA1 was selected because of high H2 yields from glucose, soluble starch, and carboxymethylcellulose. The strain was then tested for H2 production from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), rich in starch and cellulose, with productions up to 55 mLH2 g/VS. Additionally, C. sartagoforme SA1 confirmed high H2 performances even in the presence of OFMSW’s indigenous microflora, increasing the H2 yield by 38 % and highlighting its robustness in a highly competitive environment. This is the first report describing the efficient adoption of a C. sartagoforme strain for bioaugmentation of non-sterile OFMSW towards high H2 yields.