Single- vs. two-stage fermentation of an organic fraction of municipal solid waste for an enhanced medium chain carboxylic acids production - The impact of different pH and temperature

Single-stage fermentation was characterized by low medium chain carboxylic acids concentrations and different mesophilic temperatures had little effect on the process performance, whereas thermophilic conditions and pH 5.5 led to lactate and ethanol accumulation. Two-stage fermentation enabled almost twofold increase in the caproate productivity, that reached 0.8 g/L-d (1.7 +/- 0.1 gCOD/L-d) with a caproate concentration of 4.0 g/L (8.4 gCOD/L) at specificity of 37% and led to a reduced release of carbon dioxide. Under pH 6.5 and temperature of 37 degrees C the production of medium chain carboxylic acids required higher concentrations of ethanol. Number of genes annotated to fatty acid biosynthesis pathway exceeded the number of sequences assigned to the reverse beta-oxidation pathway. Core microorganisms encoding these pathways belonged to Caproiciproducens, Caproicibacterium and Clostridium. This study provides a valuable insight for valorisation of organic fraction of municipal solid waste into carboxylates in a single- and two-stage systems.