title: Techno-economic comparison of a biological hydrogen process and a 2nd generation ethanol process using barley straw as feedstock.
abstract: A process combining dark fermentation and photofermentation for production of hydrogen is interesting due to its potential of producing hydrogen at a high yields. In this study, the hydrogen process is compared to a 2nd generation ethanol process with respect to cost and with the aim of increasing our understanding of the pros and cons and giving a clear picture of the present status of the two processes. The hydrogen production cost was found to be about 20 times higher than the ethanol production cost, 421.7 €/GJ compared to 19.5 €/GJ. The main drawbacks of the hydrogen process are its low productivity, low energy efficiency, and the high cost of buffer and base required to control the pH.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Engineering, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, Lund 221 00, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ljunggren
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wallberg
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zacchi
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D001467:Hordeum; D006859:Hydrogen
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D006859:Hydrogen