Biomass based hydrogen production by dark fermentation — recent trends and opportunities for greener processes
Graphical abstract
Introduction
The impending lack of energy has instigated the search for eco-friendly, biodegradable, sustainable and cost-effective biofuels from renewable carbon sources of various organic streams [1]. Among the biofuels, hydrogen from both renewable and non-renewable sources is highly promising because of its clean burning properties and its use in transportation and power generation sectors [2, 3]. Dark fermentation (DF) or anaerobic fermentation for hydrogen production is the decomposition of organic carbon substrates using facultative or obligate anaerobic bacteria including but not exclusively Clostridium, Enterobacter, Bacillus and Escherichia coli. The pathway is described by the equations below.The main soluble products are certain organic acids like acetate, propionate and butyrate along with ethanol [4•, 5]. Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is currently the most available biomass resource for biohydrogen production, but it is challenged by the recalcitrant nature of the biomass and the generation of potential fermentative inhibitors, based on the nature of the biomass and the pretreatment process used [6]. Microalgae and macroalgae are the third generation feedstock for hydrogen production [7], and wastewater treatment by DF is an alternate route to explore [8]. In this review, we explore the recent advances in biohydrogen production by DF, including feedstock, reactor design and other possible green processes.
Section snippets
Green biomass processing for hydrogen production
Natural and green biological pathways for hydrogen production are water-splitting photosynthesis, photo fermentation, DF and electro fermentation. The energy efficient hydrogen production mainly depends on the choice of a biocatalyst/inoculum involved in the bioprocess [9]. Production of hydrogen from industrial wastewater is considerably subjected to the type of inoculum, composition and nature of biodegradability and among them, the inoculum source plays a vital role [10, 11•].
Algae-based H2 production via DF and water-splitting photosynthesis
Microalgae and macroalgae are an attractive feedstock for biohydrogen production, as they are devoid of lignin, thus reducing the complexities of pretreatment. The carbohydrates present in microalgae including green algae and cyanobacteria are simple polyglucans like starch and glycogen, while macroalgae are composed of different sugar acids and sugar alcohols like glucuronic acid and mannitol [55]. Nutrient deprivation strategies like nitrogen or sulfur depletion has been applied successfully
Conclusions
The development of large-scale biohydrogen production by DF is challenged by the high price associated with the feedstock, the development and operation of functional bioreactors and the thermodynamic limitations on the hydrogen yield by microbial fermentation. As a sustainable biofuel, biohydrogen also faces competition from other biofuels used in the transportation sector like biodiesel and other bio-based hydrocarbon fuels. With the current advances in feedstock pretreatment of LCB biomass
Conflict of interest
None declared.
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) under grant numbers of MOST 106-3113-E-006-011, 106-3113-E-006-004-CC2, 104-2221-E-006-227-MY3, and 103-2221-E-006-190-MY3.
Author GK acknowledge the financial assistance from Ton Duc Thang University, Ho chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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