Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Valorization of Cheese Whey by Electrohydrolysis for Hydrogen Gas Production and COD Removal

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Waste and Biomass Valorization Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Diluted cheese whey (CW) solutions with different initial COD contents (4,800–25,000 mg l−1) were electro-hydrolyzed by application of constant DC voltage (3 V) for hydrogen gas production and COD removal. The highest cumulative hydrogen production (3,923 ml), hydrogen yield (1,719 ml H2 g−1 COD), hydrogen formation rate (699 ml d−1), and percent hydrogen (99.2 %) in the gas phase were obtained with the highest initial COD of 25,025 g COD l−1 with an energy conversion efficiency of 90.3 %. Hydrogen gas production in water and cheese whey controls were negligible indicating no significant H2 gas production by electrolysis of water and fermentation of cheese whey. Percent COD removals were between 18 and 20 % for initial CODs above 11,500 mg l−1. Major COD removal mechanism was anaerobic fermentation of carbohydrates producing volatile fatty acids (VFA) and CO2. Hydrogen gas was produced by reaction of (H+) ions released from VFAs and electrons provided by DC current. Electro-hydrolysis of CW solution was proven to be an effective method of H2 gas production with simultaneous COD removal.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kapdan, I.K., Kargi, F.: Biohydrogen production from waste materials. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 38, 569–582 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kotay, S.M., Das, D.: Biohydrogen as a renewable energy resource—prospects and potentials. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 33, 258–263 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Manish, S., Banerjee, R.: Comparison of bio-hydrogen production processes. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 33, 279–286 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Argun, H., Kargi, F.: Bio-hydrogen production by different operational modes of dark and photo-fermentation: an overview. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36, 7443–7459 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Nagai, N., Takeuchi, M., Kimura, T., Oka, T.: Existence of optimum space between electrodeson hydrogen production by water electrolysis. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 28, 35–41 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Varkaraki, E., Lymberopoulos, N., Zoulias, E., Guichardot, D., Poli, G.: Hydrogen based uninterruptible power suply. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 32, 1589–1596 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Dubey, P.K., Sinha, A.S.K., Talapatra, S., Koratkar, N., Ajayan, P.M., Srivastava, O.N.: Hydrogen generation by water electrolysis using carbon nano-tubes. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 35, 3945–3950 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Grigoriev, S.A., Porembsky, V.I., Fateev, V.N.: Pure hydrogen production by PEM electrolysis for hydrogen energy. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 31, 171–175 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Day, D.L., Steinberg, M.P.: Electrochemical conversion of organic material. US Patent No 4200505 (1980)

  10. Roychowdhury, S.: Process for production of hydrogen from anaerobically decomposed organic materials. US Patent No 6090266(2000)

  11. Paterek, J.R.: Method and apparatus for hydrogen production from organic wastes and manure. US Patent No: 6887692 (2005)

  12. Liu, H., Grot, S., Logan, B.E.: Electrochemically assisted microbial production of hydrogen from acetate. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39, 4317–4320 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Ditzig, J., Liu, H., Logan, B.E.: Production of hydrogen from domestic wastewater using a bioelectrochemically assisted microbial reactor (BEAMR). Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 32, 2296–2304 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Call, D., Logan, B.E.: Hydrogen production in a single chamber microbial electrolysis cell lacking a membrane. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42, 3406–3410 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Tuna, E., Kargi, F., Argun, H.: Hydrogen gas production by electrohydrolysis of volatile fatty acid (VFA) containing dark fermentation effluent. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 34, 262–269 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kargi, F., Catalkaya, E.C., Uzuncar, S.: Hydrogen gas production from waste anaerobic sludge by electrohydrolysis: effects of applied DC voltage. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36, 2049–2056 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kargi, F., Catalkaya, E.C.: Hydrogen gas production from olive mill wastewater by electrohydrolysis with simultaneous COD removal. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36, 3457–3464 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Eker, S., Kargi, F.: Hydrogen gas production from electrohydrolysis of industrial wastewater organics by using photo-voltaic cells (PVC). Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 35, 12761–12766 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kargi, F.: Comparison of different electrodes in hydrogen gas production from electrohydrolysis of wastewater organics using photo-voltaic cells (PVC). Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36, 3450–3456 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kargi, F., Catalkaya, E.C.: Electrohydrolysis of landfill leachate organics for hydrogen gas production and COD removal. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36, 8252–8260 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Kargi, F., Ozmıhci, S.: Utilization of cheese whey powder (CWP) for ethanol fermentations: effects of operating parameters. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 38, 711–718 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Ozmihci, S., Kargi, F.: Ethanol fermentation of cheese whey powder solution by repeated fed-batch operation. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 41, 169–174 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ozmihci, S., Kargi, F.: Effects of feed sugar concentration on continuous ethanol fermentation of cheese whey powder solution (CWP). Enzyme Microb. Technol. 41, 876–880 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ozmihci, S., Kargi, F.: Ethanol production from cheese whey powder solution in a packed column bioreactor at different hydraulic residence times. Biochem. Eng. J. 42, 180–185 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Davila-Vazquez, G., Alatriste-Montragon, F., de Leon Rodriguez, A., Razo-Flores, E.: Fermentative hydrogen production in batch experiments using lactose, cheese whey and glucose: influence of initial substrate concentration and pH. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 33, 4989–4997 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Azbar, N., Dokgoz, F.T.C., Peker, Z.: Optimization of basal medium for fermentative hydrogen production from cheese whey wastewater. Int. J. Green Energy 6, 371–380 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Castello, E., Garcia, Y., Santos, C., Iglesias, T., Paolino, G., Wenzel, J., Borzaconni, L., Etchebehere, C.: Feasibility of biohydrogen production from cheese whey using UASB reactor. Links between microbial community and reactor performance. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 34, 5674–5682 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Yang, P., Zhang, R., McGarvey, J.A., Benemann, J.R.: Biohydrogen production from cheese processing wastewater by anaerobic fermentation using mixed microbial communities. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 32, 4761–4767 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Kargi, F., Uzuncar, S.: Simultaneous hydrogen gas formation and COD removal from cheese whey wastewater by electrohydrolysis. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 37, 11656–11665 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Greenberg, A.E., Clesceri, L.S., Eaton, A.D. (eds.): Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 21st edn. American Public Health Association (APHA),Washington DC, USA (2005)

  31. Dubois, M., Gilles, K.A., Hamilton, J.K., Rebers, P.A., Smith, F.: Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances. Anal. Chem. 8, 350–366 (1956)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Argun, H., Kargi, F., Kapdan, I.K., Oztekin, R.: Light fermentation of dark fermentation effluent for bio-hydrogen production by different Rhodobacter species at different initial volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 33, 7405–7412 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Kapdan, I.K., Kargi, F., Oztekin, R., Argun, H.: Biohydrogen production from acid hydrolyzed wheat starch by photo-fermentation using different Rhodobacter sp. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 34, 2201–2207 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Dokuz Eylul University, Buca, Izmir, Turkey

    Fikret Kargi & Sinan Uzunçar

Authors
  1. Fikret Kargi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sinan Uzunçar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fikret Kargi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kargi, F., Uzunçar, S. Valorization of Cheese Whey by Electrohydrolysis for Hydrogen Gas Production and COD Removal. Waste Biomass Valor 4, 517–528 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-012-9188-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-012-9188-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation