Lipid rich kitchen waste: analytic characterization, anaerobic digestion, and mass balances

Lipid-rich kitchen waste and ingredients of a model kitchen waste were characterized. Waste composition assumptions were veried, and closed mass balances showed that the analytical methods used could quantify waste composition. Anaerobic digestion in batch experiments with low (5 gVSl(-1)) and high (25 gVS l(-1)) loadings showed rapid process dynamics. The dynamics of carbohydrates, key intermediates such as volatile acids, and key products such as methane were observed. High loadings resulted in a transient accumulation of volatile acids, and gaps in mass balance over time were observed. Mass balances in the form of chemical oxygen demand were used to validate results and highlight indirect lipid deposition.