TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The hydrogen generating microorganisms Clostridium acetobutyricum, Bacillus thuringiensis and/or Clostridium butyricum.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The nutrients are nitrogen containing compounds, phosphorus containing compounds and/or trace metals including iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium, cobalt, zinc, nickel and copper. The pH adjustment compound is soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, nitric acid or hydrochloric acid.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The apparatus including: a storage tank hydraulically connected to the gravity settler located downstream of the gravity settler and which is located upstream of biomethanator and hydraulically connected with it, for adjusting loading rates of the liquids entering the biomethanator; a dispenser for dispensing chemicals into the storage tank for adjusting alkalinity of the liquid in storage tank; temperature controllers associated with the completely mixed bioreactor and the biomethanator for controlling a temperature of the contents of the completely mixed bioreactor and the biomethanator; and dispensing means for dispensing nutrients and pH adjustment compounds into the completely mixed bioreactor. The biomethanator is any one of a single continuously stirred tank reactor, a multistage continuously stirred tank reactor, an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor, an expanded bed granular sludge blanket, a down-flow anaerobic granular media reactor, an up-flow anaerobic granular media reactor, an anaerobic baffled tank reactor, and an anaerobic migrating blanket reactor.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process comprises: a step of flowing the liquid containing predominantly the volatile fatty acids and primary alcohols into a storage tank hydraulically connected to the gravity settler located downstream of the gravity settler and which is located upstream of biomethanator and hydraulically connected with it for adjusting loading rates of the liquids entering the biomethanator; dispensing pH adjustment compounds into the storage tank to adjust a pH of the contents of the contents of the storage tank; and controlling temperature of the completely mixed bioreactor and the biomethanator, where temperature of the completely mixed bioreactor and biomethanator is maintained at 20-70 degrees C; and dispensing nutrients and/or pH adjustment compounds into the completely mixed bioreactor.