Microbial process in anaerobic digestion of food wastes for biogas production: a review

The increasing worldwide problem of food waste has a substantial impact on environmental contamination, requiring the implementation of efficient management strategies. Anaerobic digestion is a potential technology for managing food waste, which is frequently more sustainable than traditional disposal methods like incineration and composting. Anaerobic digestion not only reduces the negative effects on the environment but also enables the generation of useful by-products such as biofuels, biochemicals, and enzymes. This study underscores the importance of producing biofuel from food waste, specifically focusing on the process by which anaerobic microorganisms transform organic materials into biogas, predominantly consisting of methane (60-70%), carbon dioxide (30-40%), and small amounts of other gases. Given the biogas industry's growing emphasis on energy generation, food waste is an excellent candidate for anaerobic digestion due to its substantial energy content and widespread availability. This review paper presents a new viewpoint by combining sophisticated microbial management with state-of-the-art biotechnology methods. It is trying to justify that the digestion process efficiency can be maximized by tackling operational issues and constraints affecting microbial performance. The study demonstrates that an optimal anaerobic digestion environment can be established by optimizing the digestive process in conjunction with integrated continuous surveillance diagnostic tools and biotechnological intervention. This innovative all-encompassing strategy is a solution to the common and practical challenges in anaerobic digestion of food waste, to utilize it as a resource for sustainable biogas generation.