Lactic acid fermentation from food waste with indigenous microbiota: Effects of pH, temperature and high OLR

•Lactobacillus was selectively accumulated in the reactor.•The highest lactic acid yield of 0.46 g/g-TS was obtained at pH 6 and 37 °C.•The VFAs in the fermentation products were very low.•Lactic acid production increased with OLR and became instable at OLR of 22 g/L d.

The effects of pH, temperature and high organic loading rate (OLR) on lactic acid production from food waste without extra inoculum addition were investigated in this study. Using batch experiments, the results showed that although the hydrolysis rate increased with pH adjustment, the lactic acid concentration and productivity were highest at pH 6. High temperatures were suitable for solubilization but seriously restricted the acidification processes. The highest lactic acid yield (0.46 g/g-TS) and productivity (278.1 mg/L h) were obtained at 37 °C and pH 6. In addition, the lactic acid concentration gradually increased with the increase in OLR, and the semi-continuous reactor could be stably operated at an OLR of 18 g-TS/L d. However, system instability, low lactic acid yield and a decrease in VS removal were noticed at high OLRs (22 g-TS/L d). The concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the fermentation mixture were relatively low but slightly increased with OLR, and acetate was the predominant VFA component. Using high-throughput pyrosequencing, Lactobacillus from the raw food waste was found to selectively accumulate and become dominant in the semi-continuous reactor.