The high-efficient utilization technology of organic waste can alleviate the dual pressures of energy and the environment. The study investigated the effects of substrate ratio, substrate concentration, and temperature on biohydrogen yield, and further optimized the process conditions for co-digestion of food waste and fecal sludge as substrates for biological hydrogen production. The results of batch mode experiments show that when the ratio of food waste to fecal sludge is 5:1, substrate concentration is 60 g/L, and fermentation temperature is 40 °C, the system achieves maximum cumulative hydrogen production of 183 mL (equivalent to 32 mL/g VS). The response surface methodology (RSM) indicates that substrate ratio, substrate concentration, and temperature all exert remarkably significant effects on hydrogen yield (p < 0.01). In addition, the synergistic interaction between substrate ratio and temperature significantly influences hydrogen production performance (p < 0.05). This study elucidates the synergistic mechanism of key process factors in the co-digestion of food waste and fecal sludge for biohydrogen production. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the engineering application of organic waste to hydrogen technologies.
Xia et al. (2026) studied this question.