Exploring the potential of fruit peels and sheep feces-derived garbage enzymes for bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge

As the global community seeks cleaner and sustainable energy alternatives, this study explores the potential of garbage enzymes (GE) derived from fruit peels, enriched with sheep feces amendment, for bio-hydrogen production from waste-activated sludge (WAS). The optimized GE fermented at 52 °C for 6 days with 3.8% wt/v sheep feces, exhibited maximum biocatalytic activity, including protease, amylase, and lipase activities, resulting in enhanced WAS hydrolysis. Application of the optimized GE at 52 °C for 5 days led to significant suspended solid (SS) removal (60.97%) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) solubilization (165.45%) in WAS. Additionally, bio-hydrogen production peaked at a 30% v/v dosage concentration of optimized GE on WAS. These findings highlight the potential of GE to transform WAS into a more bioavailable form for efficient and sustainable bio-hydrogen production. The study contributes to the development of cost-effective enzymes derived from organic wastes, capable of hydrolyzing WAS into a more bioavailable form and facilitating bio-hydrogen production.