Methanosarcina thermophila bioaugmentation on biochar as the growth support particle has previously been shown to enhance biomethane production of anaerobic digestion of food waste. In this paper, the duration of the beneficial effects is examined by a semi-continuous thermophilic regime starting from pooled digestate from a previous batch digestion. An additional experiment is performed to decouple the solids retention time, mitigating the washout effect and resulting in improved methane yield for 17 days. The second experiment is extended incorporating various permutations of biochar amendment, and the findings suggest that liquid soluble supplements are essential for prolonging the advantages. Experimental and microbiological analyses indicate that the biochar's enhancement is likely due to microbial factors like direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) or syntrophic interactions, rather than physicochemical mechanisms.
Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Bioaugmentation; Biochar; Food waste.
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