Biohydrogen Production from Anaerobic Fermentation - Biotechnology in China: Biofuels and Bioenergy - page 143

Biohydrogen Production from Anaerobic
Fermentation

Ai-Jie Wang, Guang-Li Cao and Wen-Zong Liu

Abstract Significant progress has been achieved in China for biohydrogen
production from organic wastes, particularly wastewater and agricultural residues,
which are abundantly available in China. This progress is reviewed with a focus on
hydrogen-producing bacteria, fermentation processes, and bioreactor configura-
tions. Although dark fermentation is more efficient for hydrogen production,
by-products generated during the fermentation not only compromise hydrogen
production yield but also inhibit the bacteria. Two strategies, combination of dark
fermentation and photofermentation and coupling of dark fermentation with a
microbial electrolysis cell, are expected to address this issue and improve
hydrogen production as well as substrate utilization, which are also discussed.
Finally, challenges and perspectives for biohydrogen production are highlighted.

Keywords Biohydrogen Dark fermentation Microbial electrolysis cell
Microbial fuel cell Organic wastes Photofermentation

Contents

1 Fundamentals of Anaerobic Hydrogen Fermentations..................................................... 144

1.1 Photofermentation ..................................................................................................... 144

1.2 Dark Fermentation .................................................................................................... 144

2 Biohydrogen Production from Wastewater ...................................................................... 145

2.1 Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria .................................................................................. 145

2.2 Key Factors Affecting Hydrogen Fermentation ...................................................... 147

2.3 Hydrogen Fermentation Processes ........................................................................... 148

3 Biohydrogen Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass ................................................. 149

3.1 Pretreatment .............................................................................................................. 150

3.2 Functional Microorganisms ...................................................................................... 151

3.3 Strategies for Increasing Hydrogen Yield ............................................................... 153

A.-J. Wang ( ) G.-L. Cao W.-Z. Liu

State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment,
Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
e-mail: [e-mail]

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