2.2 Experimental Set-up
A two-stage (phase I followed by phase II) anaerobic digester set-up consisting of two 1L reactors connected in series with the feed sludge is used for the current study. The set-up consists of a phase-I reactor maintained at a constant thermophilic condition (55±2 °C) and a phase-II reactor maintained at a constant mesophilic condition (37±2 °C). The reactors are maintained at their respective temperatures by jacket heating system and monitored continuously. Phase I reactor carries out hydrolysis-acidogenesis, followed by methanogenic phase II reactor. The substrate was transferred from phase-I to phase-II on day 3, based on monitoring of pH and VFA accumulation. Two such two-stage set-ups were developed and operated semi-continuously for the current study. Two- different feedstocks F1 (1:1, MWAS: FVW) and F2 (3:1, MWAS: FVW) were produced and evaluated for anaerobic process stability. Followed by, a study on hybrid (MW-H2O2) pre-treatment on anaerobic co-digestion with feedstock F2. The reactors were provided with liquid and gas sampling ports. The biogas generated was collected in inverted cylinders with water displacement technique.