Effect of moisture of municipal biowaste on start-up and efficiency of mesophilic and thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion

•Dry anaerobic digestion needs ⩾75% moisture.•Methanosarcinales dominate, no Methanosaeta spec.•Biogas/methane rates and amounts are equal at 37 and 55 °C.

Methane production from biowaste with 20–30% dry matter (DM) by box-type dry anaerobic digestion and contributing bacteria were determined for incubation at 20, 37 and 55 °C. The same digestion efficiency as for wet anaerobic digestion of biowaste was obtained for dry anaerobic digestion with 20% DM content at 20, 37 and 55 °C and with 25% DM content at 37 and 55 °C. No or only little methane was produced in dry anaerobic reactors with 30% DM at 20, 37 or 55 °C.Population densities in the 20–30% DM-containing biowaste reactors were similar although in mesophilic and thermophilic biowaste reactors with 30% DM content significantly less but phylogenetically more diverse archaea existed. Biogas production in the 20% and 25% DM assays was catalyzed by Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales. In all assays Pelotomaculum and Syntrophobacter species were dominant propionate degraders.