The global rise in energy demand, coupled with the depletion of fossil fuels and concerns about climate change, has prompted research aimed at developing cost-effective and sustainable technologies to meet future energy needs. In this regard, biohydrogen (bio-H2) production has emerged as one of the most promising approaches for generating sustainable and eco-friendly energy. Biohydrogen is nontoxic, has a high calorific value, and can be mass-produced from renewable biomass through various technologies, including thermochemical, photoelectrochemical, and dark fermentation. Among these, dark fermentation has been recognised as the most promising eco-friendly technique for hydrogen production from renewable biomass. However, challenges such as the recalcitrant structure of biomass and accumulation of metabolic end products can limit hydrogen yields. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES), which utilise bioelectrochemical reactions, offer a viable solution by enhancing hydrogen production in dark fermentation reactors through further decomposition of the generated volatile fatty acids. Integrating dark fermentation with BESs can significantly enhance hydrogen productivity by promoting this additional biomass breakdown process. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide an overview of dark fermentation, detail the fundamentals underlying BES integration, and explore their synergistic application in hydrogen production using various renewable feedstocks. It also summarises possible pretreatment methods for renewable biomass to ensure the stable performance of BESs and dark fermentation. Furthermore, the chapter discusses strategies to address existing challenges and how they can be mitigated to enhance bio-H2 yields from waste biomass using integrated BESs.

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Biohydrogen Production from Renewable Biomass in Bioelectrochemical Systems: Potential and Technical Challenges

  • Kyle John Pillay,
  • Emmanuel Tapiwa Sero,
  • Neeraj Kumar Singh,
  • Santhosh Pillai

摘要

The global rise in energy demand, coupled with the depletion of fossil fuels and concerns about climate change, has prompted research aimed at developing cost-effective and sustainable technologies to meet future energy needs. In this regard, biohydrogen (bio-H2) production has emerged as one of the most promising approaches for generating sustainable and eco-friendly energy. Biohydrogen is nontoxic, has a high calorific value, and can be mass-produced from renewable biomass through various technologies, including thermochemical, photoelectrochemical, and dark fermentation. Among these, dark fermentation has been recognised as the most promising eco-friendly technique for hydrogen production from renewable biomass. However, challenges such as the recalcitrant structure of biomass and accumulation of metabolic end products can limit hydrogen yields. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES), which utilise bioelectrochemical reactions, offer a viable solution by enhancing hydrogen production in dark fermentation reactors through further decomposition of the generated volatile fatty acids. Integrating dark fermentation with BESs can significantly enhance hydrogen productivity by promoting this additional biomass breakdown process. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide an overview of dark fermentation, detail the fundamentals underlying BES integration, and explore their synergistic application in hydrogen production using various renewable feedstocks. It also summarises possible pretreatment methods for renewable biomass to ensure the stable performance of BESs and dark fermentation. Furthermore, the chapter discusses strategies to address existing challenges and how they can be mitigated to enhance bio-H2 yields from waste biomass using integrated BESs.