Unlocking synergy in thermophilic co-digestion of rice straw and food waste: boosting biogas production through accelerated kinetics and substrate biodegradability

Yaqian Liu¹, Ryoya Watanabe², Qian Li³, Yutong Luo⁴, Naohito Tsuzuki⁵, Yu Qin⁴, Rong Chen⁶, Yu-You Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No.13 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710055, PR China; Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
² KUBOTA Corporation, 1-1-1 Hama, Amagasaki, 661-8567, Hyogo, Japan.
³ Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No.13 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710055, PR China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
⁴ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
⁵ Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
⁶ Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No.13 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710055, PR China.
⁷ Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan. Electronic address: gyokuyu.ri.a5@tohoku.ac.jp.

PMID: 41130052
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127700

Unlocking synergy in thermophilic co-digestion of rice straw and food waste: boosting biogas production through accelerated kinetics and substrate biodegradability

Yaqian Liu et al. J Environ Manage. 2025.

. 2025 Oct 22:395:127700.

doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127700. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yaqian Liu¹, Ryoya Watanabe², Qian Li³, Yutong Luo⁴, Naohito Tsuzuki⁵, Yu Qin⁴, Rong Chen⁶, Yu-You Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No.13 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710055, PR China; Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
² KUBOTA Corporation, 1-1-1 Hama, Amagasaki, 661-8567, Hyogo, Japan.
³ Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No.13 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710055, PR China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
⁴ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
⁵ Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan.
⁶ Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Shaanxi Province, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No.13 Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710055, PR China.
⁷ Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Sendai, 980-8579, Miyagi, Japan. Electronic address: gyokuyu.ri.a5@tohoku.ac.jp.

PMID: 41130052
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127700

Abstract

This study investigated the mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) systems of rice straw (RS) (40 %-100 %) and food waste, comparing biogas production performance, organic matter degradation characteristics, and energy balance assessment. Results showed that thermophilic conditions exhibited excellent hydrolysis kinetics, and especially at 100 % RS ratio, with significantly higher biogas production rate and methane yield (154.1 vs. 94.5 mL/g total solids). However, both temperature regimes maintained biogas production stability, which may be attributed to the supply of non-ammonia alkalinity. Furthermore, energy balance assessment revealed that mesophilic conditions had higher energy recovery potential at 40 % RS ratio, while thermophilic systems achieved superior net energy output at higher RS ratio, as increased methane production offset additional heating requirements. This study reveals the key influence of temperature conditions on AD technology for lignocellulosic waste, providing a technical foundation for sustainable green agricultural development.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Biomethane; Energy assessment; Rice straw ratio; Temperature.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Unlocking synergy in thermophilic co-digestion of rice straw and food waste: boosting biogas production through accelerated kinetics and substrate biodegradability

Affiliations

Unlocking synergy in thermophilic co-digestion of rice straw and food waste: boosting biogas production through accelerated kinetics and substrate biodegradability

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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