초록
<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>An easy and simple method of producing H<SUB>2</SUB> from food waste was devised. Although there was no inoculum addition or pretreatment, food waste was naturally decomposed and converted to H<SUB>2</SUB> when cultivated at 50–60 °C in anaerobic state. Both the highest H<SUB>2</SUB> yield of 1.79 mol H<SUB>2</SUB>/mol hexose<SUB>added</SUB> and a production rate of 369.1 ml H<SUB>2</SUB>/L/h were observed at 50 °C. While butyrate was the main by-product of the food waste cultivated at 50 °C, lactate whose producing-reaction is non-hydrogenic was dominant at 35 °C where the worst performance was observed. The degradation efficiency of volatile solids and carbohydrate was similar to 50% and 90%, respectively, at both temperatures. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis clearly revealed that the role of temperature control was the microbial selection. At high temperature, the activity of indigenous lactic acid bacteria was suppressed while H<SUB>2</SUB>-producing bacteria, such as <I>Clostridium</I> sp., <I>Acetanaerobacterium elongatum</I>, and <I>Caloramater indicus</I>, were predominantly cultivated.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P><P>► Food waste was naturally converted to H<SUB>2</SUB> when cultivated at 50–60 °C. ► At 50 °C, the highest H<SUB>2</SUB> yield of 1.79 mol H<SUB>2</SUB>/mol hexose<SUB>added</SUB> was observed. ► The role of temperature control was the microbial selection. ► The activity of indigenous lactic acid bacteria was suppressed at 50 °C.</P>