Temperature phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and digested sludge (DS): Effect of different hydrolysis conditions

•The maximum value of the reaction rate constant is reached at 72 h SRT.•The optimal temperature for the hydrolytic stage was found at 55 °C.•The analysis of VFAs and COD allows further interpretation of process limitations. Hydrolysis is the most critical stage in high solids Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion (TPAD). In this paper two different Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) types were tested in co-digestion with Digested Sludge (DS) at different temperatures: 37, 55 and 65 °C. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs), soluble chemical oxygen demand (CODs) and Biochemical Methane Production (BMP) were measured and calculated after 0, 24, 48 and 72 h hydrolysis. The results showed that both the BMP and the methane production rate improved. A Solids Retention Time (SRT) of 72 h at a temperature of 55 °C gave the best results: the reaction rate constant k was 0.34 d-1 and the BMP was 250 mLCH4/gMV, which were 47% and 19% higher compared to the reference (0 h hydrolysis). The CODs and VFAs profiles during hydrolysis showed how OFMSW initial characteristics can affect the performance of temperature phased anaerobic digestion.