Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.8
3.3
Journals
Fermentation
Special Issues
Fermentative Biohydrogen Production
share announcement

Fermentative Biohydrogen Production

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 9903

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jinling Cai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Brine Chemical Engineering and Resource Eco-Utilization, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: biological hydrogen production; photosynthetic bacteria; dark fermentation; biotechnology enzymes; bioremediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fermentative hydrogen production from different waste materials is a promising approach to produce bio-energy in terms of renewable energy exploration, which is under extensive investigation worldwide. A wide variety of organic wastes can be used as feedstock for hydrogen production in fermentation, thus providing an added advantage of waste recycling. However, the process of fermentation is essentially restricted by the low yields of hydrogen, so advancements are still necessary. Extensive research has been conducted to overcome such bottlenecks. Various technologies have been used to improve the fermentative hydrogen yield, including bacterial strain, substrate, reactor design, metabolic engineering and two-stage processes; pretreatment of the seed sludge; optimization of the bioprocess parameters (e.g., temperature, pH, organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time, effluent recycling ratio, nitrogen, phosphate, metal ion), etc.

The goal of this Special Issue is to publish both recent innovative research results, as well as review papers, on fermentative hydrogen production. Review and research papers on microbiology, biochemistry and enzymology for fermentative hydrogen production are also of interest. If you would like to contribute a review paper, please contact one of the editors to discuss the topic's relevance before submitting the manuscript.

Dr. Jinling Cai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological hydrogen production
  • bacteria
  • bioreactor
  • metabolic engineering
  • two-stage process
  • pretreatment
  • bioprocess parameters
  • substrate
  • organic wastes
  • fermentation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

34 pages, 7940 KiB  
Article
Hydrogen Production from Sugarcane Bagasse Pentose Liquor Fermentation Using Different Food/Microorganism and Carbon/Nitrogen Ratios under Mesophilic and Thermophilic Conditions
by Luísa Mattiello-Francisco, Filipe Vasconcelos Ferreira, Guilherme Peixoto, Gustavo Mockaitis and Marcelo Zaiat
Fermentation 2024, 10(8), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10080432 - 18 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1165
Abstract
Hydrogen is a well-known clean energy carrier with a high energetic yield. Its versatility allows it to be produced in diverse ways, including biologically. Specifically, dark fermentation takes advantage of organic wastes, such as agro-industrial residues, to obtain hydrogen. One of these harmful [...] Read more.
Hydrogen is a well-known clean energy carrier with a high energetic yield. Its versatility allows it to be produced in diverse ways, including biologically. Specifically, dark fermentation takes advantage of organic wastes, such as agro-industrial residues, to obtain hydrogen. One of these harmful wastes that is poorly discharged into streams is sugarcane bagasse pentose liquor (SBPL). The present study aimed to investigate hydrogen generation from SBPL fermentation in batch reactors by applying different food/microorganism (2–10 F/M) and carbon/nitrogen (10–200 C/N) ratios under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Biohydrogen was produced in all pentose liquor experiments along with other soluble microbial products (SMPs): volatile fatty acids (VFAs) (at least 1.38 g L−1 and 1.84 g L−1 by the average of C/N and F/M conditions, respectively) and alcohols (at least 0.67 g L−1 and 0.325 g L−1 by the average of C/N and F/M conditions, respectively). Thermophilic pentose liquor reactors (t-PLRs) showed the highest H2 production (H2 maximum: 1.9 ± 0.06 L in 100 C/N) and hydrogen yield (HY) (1.9 ± 0.54 moles of H2 moles of substrate−1 in 2 F/M) when compared to mesophilic ones (m-PLRs). The main VFA produced was acetate (>0.85 g L−1, considering the average of both nutritional conditions), especially through the butyrate pathway, which was the most common metabolic route of experimental essays. Considering the level of acid dilution used in the pretreatment of bagasse (H2SO4 (1%), 1.1 atm, 120 °C, 60 min), it is unlikely that toxic compounds such as furan derivatives, phenol-like substances (neither was measured), and acetate (<1.0 g L−1) hinder the H2 production in the pentose liquor reactors (PLRs). Sugarcane bagasse pentose liquor fermentation may become a suitable gateway to convert a highly polluting waste into a renewable feedstock through valuable hydrogen production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2308 KiB  
Article
Biohydrogen Production from Methane-Derived Biomass of Methanotroph and Microalgae by Clostridium
by Yuxuan Sang, Zhangzhang Xie, Liangyan Li, Oumei Wang, Shiling Zheng and Fanghua Liu
Fermentation 2024, 10(8), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10080383 - 26 Jul 2024
Viewed by 990
Abstract
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, represents both a challenge and an opportunity in the quest for sustainable energy. This work investigates the biotechnology for converting methane into clean, renewable hydrogen. The co-culture of Chlorella sacchrarophila FACHB 4 and Methylomonas sp. HYX-M1 was demonstrated [...] Read more.
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, represents both a challenge and an opportunity in the quest for sustainable energy. This work investigates the biotechnology for converting methane into clean, renewable hydrogen. The co-culture of Chlorella sacchrarophila FACHB 4 and Methylomonas sp. HYX-M1 was demonstrated to completely convert 1 mmol of methane to biomass within 96 h. After acid digestion of such biomass, up to 45.05 μmol of glucose, 4.07 μmol of xylose, and 26.5 μmol of lactic acid were obtained. Both Clostridium pasteurianum DSM525 and Clostridium sp. BZ-1 can utilize those sugars to produce hydrogen without any additional organic carbon sources. The higher light intensity in methane oxidation co-culture systems resulted in higher hydrogen production, with the BZ-1 strain producing up to 14.00 μmol of hydrogen, 8.19 μmol of lactate, and 6.09 μmol of butyrate from the co-culture biomass obtained at 12,000 lux. The results demonstrate that the co-culture biomass of microalgae and methanotroph has the potential to serve as a feedstock for dark fermentative hydrogen production. Our study highlights the complexities inherent in achieving efficient and complete methane-to-hydrogen conversion, positioning this biological approach as a pivotal yet demanding area of research for combating climate change and propelling the global energy transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3008 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Biohydrogen Production: The Role of Iron-Based Nanoparticles in Continuous Lactate-Driven Dark Fermentation of Powdered Cheese Whey
by Deborah Leroy-Freitas, Raúl Muñoz, Leonardo J. Martínez-Mendoza, Cristina Martínez-Fraile and Octavio García-Depraect
Fermentation 2024, 10(6), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10060296 - 3 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1292
Abstract
Here, a comprehensive investigation was conducted under various operational strategies aimed at enhancing biohydrogen production via dark fermentation, with a specific focus on the lactate metabolic pathway, using powdered cheese whey as a substrate. Initially, a batch configuration was tested to determine both [...] Read more.
Here, a comprehensive investigation was conducted under various operational strategies aimed at enhancing biohydrogen production via dark fermentation, with a specific focus on the lactate metabolic pathway, using powdered cheese whey as a substrate. Initially, a batch configuration was tested to determine both the maximum hydrogen yield (100.2 ± 4.2 NmL H2/g CODfed) and the substrate (total carbohydrates) consumption efficiency (94.4 ± 0.8%). Subsequently, a transition to continuous operation was made by testing five different operational phases: control (I), incorporation of an inert support medium for biomass fixation (II), addition of carbon-coated, zero-valent iron nanoparticles (CC-nZVI NPs) at 100 mg/L (III), and supplementation of Fe2O3 nanoparticles at concentrations of 100 mg/L (IV) and 300 mg/L (V). The results emphasized the critical role of the support medium in stabilizing the continuous system. On the other hand, a remarkable increase of 10% in hydrogen productivity was observed with the addition of Fe2O3 NPs (300 mg/L). The analysis of the organic acids’ composition unveiled a positive correlation between high butyrate concentrations and improved volumetric hydrogen production rates (25 L H2/L-d). Moreover, the presence of iron-based NPs effectively regulated the lactate concentration, maintaining it at low levels. Further exploration of the bacterial community dynamics revealed a mutually beneficial interaction between lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and hydrogen-producing bacteria (HPB) throughout the experimental process, with Prevotella, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus emerging as the predominant genera. In conclusion, this study highlighted the promising potential of nanoparticle addition as a tool for boosting biohydrogen productivity via lactate-driven dark fermentation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2141 KiB  
Article
Production of Hydrogen with Ruminal Microbiota: Finding Culture Conditions for High Yields
by Vianca Maribel Gándara-Arteaga, Guadalupe María Guatemala-Morales, Álvaro de Jesús Martínez-Gómez, Guillermo Toriz, Carlos Pelayo-Ortiz and Rosa Isela Corona-González
Fermentation 2024, 10(6), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10060274 - 23 May 2024
Viewed by 895
Abstract
Hydrogen is ideal for replacing fossil fuels because upon combustion it generates only water. Dark fermentation (DF) from lignocellulose might be a competitive process for hydrogen production at the industrial scale. However, lignocellulose must be pretreated to obtain fermentable sugars, which is costly [...] Read more.
Hydrogen is ideal for replacing fossil fuels because upon combustion it generates only water. Dark fermentation (DF) from lignocellulose might be a competitive process for hydrogen production at the industrial scale. However, lignocellulose must be pretreated to obtain fermentable sugars, which is costly and creates pollution. Microorganisms from bovine rumen efficiently degrade lignocellulose. Unfortunately, they have scarcely been explored for the production of hydrogen. Therefore, deeper studies on the culture conditions have to be undertaken to understand the behavior of microbial consortia from the rumen of bovines (MCRB) during hydrogen production. In this work, we evaluated the production of hydrogen by DF with MCRB by varying the incubation time, two culture media (MB and Rhodospirillaceae), headspace (40 and 80 mL), and thermal treatment. It was found that the production of hydrogen was maximum at 16 h MCRB incubation in MB. An amount of 80 mL headspace resulted in a threefold production of hydrogen as compared to 40 mL; the MCRB without heat treatment had a higher H2 yield. The production of hydrogen with 32 MCRB was highly variable, ranging between 21 and 696 mL. Our findings show a different perspective on the treatment of MCRB for the production of hydrogen and give insights on the impact of the culture conditions for increasing hydrogen production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 5694 KiB  
Article
Biohydrogen, Volatile Fatty Acids, and Biomethane from Mezcal Vinasses—A Dark Fermentation Process Evaluation
by Sergio A. Díaz-Barajas, Iván Moreno-Andrade, Edson B. Estrada-Arriaga, Liliana García-Sánchez and Marco A. Garzón-Zúñiga
Fermentation 2024, 10(4), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10040217 - 16 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1518
Abstract
Mezcal is a drink made in Mexico, the production of which generates vinasses with a high content of organic matter (OM) that is not utilized. However, these residues have the potential to be drawn upon in dark fermentation (DF) processes to obtain biogas [...] Read more.
Mezcal is a drink made in Mexico, the production of which generates vinasses with a high content of organic matter (OM) that is not utilized. However, these residues have the potential to be drawn upon in dark fermentation (DF) processes to obtain biogas rich in biohydrogen, biomethane, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with the potential to become biofuels. In the present work, the effect of reaction time (RT) and organic load (OL) was assessed based on the efficiency of removing OM, the production of VFAs, and the generation and composition of biogas in a process of DF fed with mezcal vinasses. The results show that increasing the RT and decreasing the OL increases COD removal but decreases biohydrogen production. The maximum production of H2 (64 ± 21 NmL H2/Lreactor) was obtained with the lowest RT (1 d) and the highest OL (13.5 gCODm3d−1), while the highest accumulation of VFAs (2007 ± 327 mg VFA/L) was obtained with an RT of 3 d. It was determined that RT and OL are key parameters in DF processes for biohydrogen and VFA production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1729 KiB  
Article
Specific Organic Loading Rate Control for Improving Fermentative Hydrogen Production
by Mélida del Pilar Anzola-Rojas, Lucas Tadeu Fuess and Marcelo Zaiat
Fermentation 2024, 10(4), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10040213 - 14 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1549
Abstract
Inhibiting homoacetogens is one of the main challenges in fermentative hydrogen production because these hydrogen consumers have similar growth features to hydrogen producers. Homoacetogens have been related to the excessive accumulation of biomass in fermentative reactors. Therefore, a suitable food/microorganism ratio has the [...] Read more.
Inhibiting homoacetogens is one of the main challenges in fermentative hydrogen production because these hydrogen consumers have similar growth features to hydrogen producers. Homoacetogens have been related to the excessive accumulation of biomass in fermentative reactors. Therefore, a suitable food/microorganism ratio has the potential to minimize the homoacetogenic activity. In this work, the specific organic loading rate (SOLR) was controlled in two fermentative fixed-bed up-flow reactors through scheduled biomass discharges. Reactors were differentiated by the bed arrangement, namely, packed and structured conformation. The SOLR decay along the time in both reactors was previously simulated according to the literature data. The volume and volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentration of discharges was estimated from the first discharge, and then additional discharges were planned. Biomass discharges removed 21% of the total biomass produced in the reactors, maintaining SOLR values of 3.0 ± 0.4 and 3.9 ± 0.5 g sucrose g−1 VSS d−1 in the packed-bed and structured-bed reactors, respectively. Such a control of the SOLR enabled continuous and stable hydrogen production at 2.2 ± 0.2 L H2 L−1 d−1 in the packed-bed reactor and 1.0 ± 0.3 L H2 L−1 d−1 in the structured-bed one. Controlling biomass was demonstrated to be a suitable strategy for keeping the continuous hydrogen production, although the fermentative activity was impaired in the structured-bed reactor. The homoacetogenic was partially inhibited, accounting for no more than 30% of the total acetic acid produced in the reactor. Overall, the high amount of attached biomass in the packed-bed reactor provided more robustness to the system, offsetting the periodic suspended biomass losses via the planned discharges. Better characterizing both the VSS composition (aiming to differentiate cells from polymeric substances) and the bed hydrodynamics could be useful to optimize the online SOLR control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3080 KiB  
Article
Dark Fermentation in the Dark Biosphere: The Case of Citrobacter sp. T1.2D-12
by Violeta Gallego-Rodríguez, Adrián Martínez-Bonilla, Nuria Rodríguez and Ricardo Amils
Fermentation 2023, 9(10), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9100887 - 30 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1632
Abstract
Microbial diversity that thrives in the deep subsurface remains largely unknown. In this work, we present the characterization of Citrobacter sp. T1.2D-1, isolated from a 63.6 m-deep core sample extracted from the deep subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). A genomic analysis [...] Read more.
Microbial diversity that thrives in the deep subsurface remains largely unknown. In this work, we present the characterization of Citrobacter sp. T1.2D-1, isolated from a 63.6 m-deep core sample extracted from the deep subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). A genomic analysis was performed to identify genes that could be ecologically significant in the IPB. We identified all the genes that encoded the formate–hydrogen lyase and hydrogenase-2 complexes, related to hydrogen production, as well as those involved in glycerol fermentation. This is particularly relevant as some of the substrates and byproducts of this process are of industrial interest. Additionally, we conducted a phylogenomic study, which led us to conclude that our isolate was classified within the Citrobacter telavivensis species. Experimentally, we verified the strain’s ability to produce hydrogen from glucose and glycerol and, thus, of performing dark fermentation. Moreover, we assessed the activity of the nitrate and tetrathionate reductase complexes and the isolate’s ability to tolerate high concentrations of heavy metals, especially Zn. These results suggest that C. telavivensis T1.2D-1 can play a role in the carbon, hydrogen, iron, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles that occur in the deep subsurface of the IPB, making it a candidate worthy of further study for possible biotechnological applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentative Biohydrogen Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop