title: The effect of biomass immobilization support material and bed porosity on hydrogen production in an upflow anaerobic packed-bed bioreactor.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the support material used for biomass attachment and bed porosity on the potential generation of hydrogen gas in an anaerobic bioreactor treating low-strength wastewater. For this purpose, an upflow anaerobic packed-bed (UAPB) reactor fed with sucrose-based synthetic wastewater was used. Three reactors with various support materials (expanded clay, vegetal coal, and low-density polyethylene) were operated for hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.5 and 2 h. Based on the results obtained, three further reactors were operated with low-density polyethylene as a material support using various bed porosities (91, 75, and 50 %) for an HRT of 0.5 h. The UAPB reactor was found to be a feasible technology for hydrogen production, reaching a maximum substrate-based hydrogen yield of 7 mol H₂ mol(-1) sucrose for an HRT of 0.5 h. The type of support material used did not affect hydrogen production or the microbial population inside the reactor. Increasing the bed porosity to 91 % provided a continuous and cyclic production of hydrogen, whereas the lower bed porosities resulted in a reduced time of hydrogen production due to biomass accumulation, which resulted in a decreasing working volume.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Processos Biológicos, Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Engenharia Ambiental-Bloco 4-F, Av. João Dagnone, 1100, 13.563-120 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Saavedra
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Maintinguer
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Sette
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: M B A
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Varesche
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaiat
mesh_terms: D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000378:metabolism*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D016062:Porosity; D012212:Rheology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D013395:Sucrose; D006859:Hydrogen