title: Increased biohydrogen yields, volatile fatty acid production and substrate utilisation rates via the electrodialysis of a continually fed sucrose fermenter.
abstract: Electrodialysis (ED) removed volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from a continually-fed, hydrogen-producing fermenter. Simultaneously, electrochemical removal and adsorption removed gaseous H2and CO2, respectively. Removing VFAs via ED in this novel process increased H2yields by a factor of 3.75 from 0.24molH2mol-1hexoseto 0.90molH2mol-1hexose. VFA production and substrate utilisation rates were consistent with the hypothesis that end product inhibition arrests H2production. The methodology facilitated the recovery of 37g of VFAs, and 30L H2that was more than 99% pure, both of which are valuable, energy dense chemicals. Typically, short hydraulic and solid retention times, and depressed pH levels are used to suppress methanogenesis, but this limits H2production. To produce H2from real world, low grade biomass containing complex carbohydrates, longer hydraulic retention times (HRTs) are required. The proposed system increased H2yields via increased substrate utilisation over longer HRTs.
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Environment Research Centre, Faculty of Computing Engineering and Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, United Kingdom. Electronic address: rhys.jones@southwales.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rhys Jon
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Environment Research Centre, Faculty of Computing Engineering and Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Massanet-Nicolau
authors.affiliation: HyET Hydrogen Efficiency Technologies B.V., Leemansweg 15, 6827 BX Arnhem, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn J J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Environment Research Centre, Faculty of Computing Engineering and Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Premier
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Environment Research Centre, Faculty of Computing Engineering and Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dinsdale
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Environment Research Centre, Faculty of Computing Engineering and Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guwy
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis*; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005285:Fermentation; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D002241:Carbohydrates; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D013395:Sucrose; D006859:Hydrogen
keywords: Biohydrogen; Electrodialysis; End product inhibition; Homoacetogenesis; Hydraulic retention time; Increased hydrolysis