Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for separating short-chain fatty acids and nutrients from liquid organic waste produced after subjecting organic waste to hydrolysis and acidogenesis or to anaerobic digestion, wherein the process comprises: i. a step of adjusting the pH of the liquid organic waste to 1.9 to 2.1 by adding acid; ii. a step of subjecting the pH-adjusted liquid organic waste to vapor compression distillation in a distillation device producing a distillate and a residue while measuring the total dissolved solid, “TDS”, concentration of the distillate and the residue in the distillation device and maintaining a distillate:residue ratio in the range between 85:15 v/v % and 95:5 v/v % by measuring the TDS concentration in the distillation device, until the TDS concentration of the residue in the distillation device reaches a value of 10 times that of the pH-adjusted liquid organic waste.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for hydrolyzing and acidifying homogenized organic waste fed into a closed and gas tight reactor using enzymatic bacteria under thermophilic conditions where water may be added to said reactor and the content of the reactor can be mixed and subjecting during hydrolysis and acidification an adequate part of a suspension formed in the reactor to—i. a separation step isolating—a permeate comprising an aqueous solution of soluble carbon, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and valuable nutrients, —an organic slurry comprising an aqueous solution of insoluble organic solids rich in enzymatic thermophilic bacteria and non-hydrolyzed organic solids, and the remaining part of soluble carbon, VFA and valuable nutrients, thereafter to—ii. a recirculation step re-feeding said organic slurry into the reactor for further hydrolysis and acidification.