Elise Garbutt

Student Number: 710021783

Mini Project - Renewable Energy Systems: Biomass

The Inevitable Future of Biohydrogen as a fuel alternative

Abstract

The future of fuel is renewable, the question is what we will replace fossil fuels with. Depleting
resources are corrupting our climate and there has never been more urgency to change our source
of energy and fuel. Biomass provides the Earth with a variety of sustainable resources that can be
utilised for fuel. Specifically, hydrogen has attracted attention as a potential fuel that can be
produced in various ways biologically via microalgae and organic waste. This biological hydrogen can
be produced via dark fermentation, photo fermentation, and photolysis (direct or indirect), each
presenting advantages of their own. Although the most researched method is bio photolysis, dark
fermentation has more potential in future terms of fuel production, particularly with microalgae.
There is encouraging development on technology to maximise efficiency of these processes so that
biohydrogen can be mass produced cost effectively, which is important for any future fuel
alternative. While there are still issues to resolve, there is no doubt that hydrogen, when produced
biologically, has unmatched potential in the fuel industry of the future.
Figure 1 Number of publications on hydrogen per
year (Source: SCOPUS, 2016)

Figure 2 Methods of producing

biohydrogen from Biomass

Figure 3 Limitations of Biohydrogen

processes
Introduction

The growing population and consequently the increasing demand in energy requires a more
sustainable resource of fuel to replace the declining level of fossil fuels at our disposal. Not only are
fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas diminishing, they are also destroying our climate at a
substantial rate. Therefore, it is important that the source of our fuel shifts to alternative energy
sources which have less of an environmental impact. Biohydrogen gas has great potential as a source
of renewable energy due to its high energy density which is around 2.75 times higher than that of
hydrocarbons. Hydrogen has already proven a suitable alternative to fuel, but production of the gas
at present is very harmful to the environment, the thermochemical and electrolysis processes are
expensive and demand a high input of energy. However, there are multiple effective methods of
producing biohydrogen such as dark fermentation, photo fermentation, and bio photolysis which
offer kinder ways of producing hydrogen for use as fuel. Several renewable sources offer promising
prospects in terms of creating biohydrogen including microalgae and organic rich waste/wastewater
(e.g., municipal solid waste).

Discussion

There are multiple ways in which biohydrogen can be produced for use as a transport fuel. Figure 2
displays these, branching from either thermochemical or biological methods. The biological methods
are the main focus of research on biohydrogen today. Dark fermentation seems to have the most
potential for biohydrogen production (BHP) as a result of its relatively low cost and high efficiency
when compared to other methods. It is achieved through converting carbohydrates to biohydrogen
through anaerobic microbial systems. These can be pure or mixed cultures, but co-cultures tend to
yield a higher amount of hydrogen as they can break down a larger number of different substrates,
and they also neglect the need for a sterile environment. Photo fermentation occurs with
photosynthetic bacteria in anaerobic conditions, using light as an energy source. It has a high H2 yield
efficiency, but construction cost is high and there is limited availability of organic acid. The method
that has been researched the most for BHP is direct photolysis. The hydrogenases (FeFe and NiFe)
found in microalgae and cyanobacteria are used to produce hydrogen from water and solar energy.
Such advantages as water being an abundant substrate make bio photolysis an attractive method of
BHP. One barrier to direct photolysis is that the oxygen produced causes the yield of biohydrogen to
decrease as it interferes with efficiency of the conversion. This issue can be overcome using indirect
photolysis to limit the amount of O2 on the Fe-hydrogenase. Photo fermentation can follow dark
fermentation for a two-stage fermentation, where hydrogen is first made from glucose in the dark
stage with CO2 and acetate as bi-products, and the acetate goes on to make H2 and CO2 in photo
fermentation during the second stage. The benefits of sequential fermentation are high production
rate, and a higher yield than that of a single step fermentative process. All methods of BHP have
different advantages which make them favourable in the development of biohydrogen, however
there are limitations to each of these processes as shown in Figure 3 that require attention in order
to make them viable in the future.

Within the present development of BHP using photolysis, there is research targeted to enhance
hydrogenase activity using new or engineered organisms, as hydrogenase is restricted in the process
by the oxygen produced. In terms of fermentation, research is currently focused on process
optimisation. This includes adding microbial support particles and finding optimal pre-treatment
conditions to enhance BHP. Dark fermentation is especially appealing to future engineers as a way of
producing biohydrogen because the substrates, namely sugars and rich carbohydrates, are readily
available in a variety of wastes and biomass. The anaerobic process also means that no oxygen
hinders the hydrogenases generating the H2. To use biohydrogen as a fuel in an internal combustion
engine or fuel cell, it must be pure hydrogen, but fermentative processes produce a mixed biogas,
therefore it is not suitable for immediate use. There is however encouraging separation and
membrane technology being developed which could surmount this existing problem.

Microalgae provides a good source for BHP, involving fermentative processes and photosynthesis
processes. The high carbohydrate content in microalgae is perfect as feedstock for fermentation and
they also have a fast rate of growth along with being beneficial to the environment when combined
with wastewater treatment. Commercially, this source of biomass has a few restrictions, including
the expense of harvesting algal biomass and drying it due to the high-water content. The strategy of
algae to produce biohydrogen is being enhanced using pre-treatment methods to improve hydrolysis
of the carbohydrates. There are physical methods such as milling or steam explosion, and chemical
methods like chemical oxidation and enzymatic hydrolysis. These all disrupt the wall of the cell so
that it released organic substances applicable to biohydrogen production. Physical and chemical pre-
treatment methods can be combined for a more efficient disintegration of biomass.

Hydrogen holds some of the greatest potential as an alternative fuel today, but current chemical
production of the fuel is not sustainable, though biohydrogen can be produced from a range of
substrates such as organic waste and biomass as feedstock at a relatively low cost. Economically,
biohydrogen can be a cheap sustainable fuel, with no carbon emissions in the process therefore free
of carbon credits. Environmental benefits include net-zero greenhouse emissions, a renewable
source of fuel and reduction in air-pollution and global warming. Biohydrogen also has social
advantages, providing employment opportunities, GDP contribution, and improving human health in
the long run. One limitation is that biohydrogen is often produced in smaller yields with current
technology and methods of BHP. There are developments to increase hydrogen yields and rate of
production so that biohydrogen can be produced on the industrial scale cost-efficiently. The issue of
the purity and partial pressure of hydrogen in the gas form could be overcome using selective
membranes in the production process to separate the hydrogen, therefore increasing purity of
hydrogen and reducing partial pressure. According to Hallenbeck, partial pressure of hydrogen can
be reduced by flushing inert gas to extract electrons for making NADH, these compounds can then
be used for biosynthetic reactions. If biohydrogen can be produced at a cost-effective rate in high
yields, then it will undeniably thrive as an alternative fuel in the future given that current research
and development continues to accelerate.

The extent at which biohydrogen is being explored has increased greatly as a result of hydrogen
becoming a possible transportation fuel. This explains the trend shown in Figure 1, as the
biohydrogen publications released increases abruptly from 2003 to 2015. Yearly, the number of
published papers will continue to grow as research around the topic develops. This increase in
research provides a promising look towards industrial BHP in the not-too-distant future. The success
of biohydrogen as a fuel however is also reliant on fuel economics and the progress of hydrogen fuel
systems. Nonetheless, it is clear that biohydrogen fuel technology has the ability to exceed existing
hydrogen fuel cells with the adequate improvements made in the coming years.

Conclusion

When faced with the question of whether biohydrogen has a future in the fuel industry, there is
sufficient evidence to suggest that it is highly probable. With the pressure to reduce greenhouse
emissions, it is essential that we find a fuel with the ability to replace the current finite resources
which is sustainable, and cheap enough to produce on the mass scale. Biohydrogen could be the way
forward given that we can mass produce it sustainably without a negative impact on the
environment and the fuel economy. I think the method of BHP with the most promise is dark
fermentation, this is because anaerobic conditions mean no oxygen inhibits the hydrogenases
involved in creating the hydrogen, resulting in a higher yield at a low cost when compared to
photosynthesis processes. Dark fermentation also has a relatively fast production rate, making it an
attractive choice for industrial development of the fuel. Microalgae have demonstrated through
several ways that it is suitable for BHP and has industrial potential using a variety of pre-treatment
methods, provided that developing technology reduces the cost of manufacturing the fuel on a large
scale. The limitations involved in generating biohydrogen are heavily outweighed by the benefits,
making it a necessity in my opinion that technology continues to develop so as to overcome these
constraints, and allow biohydrogen fuel to be more economically viable. The level at which a change
in fuel is being discussed and the increase in biohydrogen research publications instils me with
confidence in the success of biohydrogen of the future.

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