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Related Experiment Videos

Biological hydrogen production using a membrane bioreactor.

Sang-Eun Oh1, Prabha Iyer, Mary Ann Bruns

  • 1COE Environmental Institute, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|June 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary
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This study developed an anaerobic membrane bioreactor for biological hydrogen production, achieving 60% hydrogen gas concentration. Optimizing solids retention time improved glucose utilization and biogas production, but longer times decreased hydrogen conversion efficiency.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Biological hydrogen production is a promising renewable energy source.
  • Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (MBRs) offer potential for efficient microbial processes.
  • Controlling microbial communities and operational parameters is key for optimizing hydrogen yield.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) for enhanced biological hydrogen production.
  • To investigate the impact of solids retention time (SRT) on reactor performance, including glucose utilization, biogas production, and hydrogen conversion efficiency.
  • To assess membrane performance and fouling characteristics in the MBR system.

Main Methods:

  • Coupling a cross-flow membrane to a chemostat to create an anaerobic MBR.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilizing a glucose-fed medium inoculated with heat-treated soil to select for spore-forming bacteria.
  • Operating the reactor in chemostat and MBR modes with varying hydraulic retention times (HRT) and solids retention times (SRT).
  • Analyzing biogas composition, glucose removal, biomass concentration, and membrane permeate flux.
  • Employing ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis for microbial community identification.

    • Main Results:

    • Consistent hydrogen gas production at 57-60% concentration was achieved.
    • MBR operation with increased SRT (12 h) enhanced glucose utilization (98%) and biogas production (640 mL/h), improving glucose-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency to 25%.
    • Extended SRT (up to 48 h) further increased glucose utilization and biomass but decreased biogas production and hydrogen conversion efficiency.
    • Membrane performance was stable with permeate fluxes of 57-60 L/m(2)h, primarily affected by internal fouling and cake resistance.
    • Microbial analysis revealed dominance of bacteria related to Clostridiaceae and Flexibacteraceae, with no archaea detected.

    Conclusions:

    • The anaerobic MBR is effective for biological hydrogen production with high hydrogen concentration.
    • Optimizing SRT is crucial for balancing glucose utilization, biogas production, and hydrogen conversion efficiency.
    • Membrane fouling management, particularly through backpulsing, is essential for sustained operation.