Potential to produce biohydrogen from various wastewaters

This research evaluates the potential for producing hydrogen in anaerobic reactors using wastewater from various sources (domestic sewage, vinasse from ethanol production, and glycerin from biodiesel production). The assays were performed in batch reactors with a volume of 2 l, and sucrose was used as a control substrate. The inoculum was taken from a packed-bed reactor used to produce hydrogen from a sucrose-based synthetic substrate. Hydrogen was produced from all of the wastewaters assayed (200 ml H2/g COD for domestic sewage; 579 ml H2/g COD for vinasse; 200 ml H2/g COD for glycerin; and 270 ml H2/g COD for sucrose). Vinasse showed the highest potential for hydrogen production, as seen from its higher hydrogen yield (25 mmol H2/g COD) and maximum hydrogen production rate (3.08 mmol H2/g VSS h).