Research and development perspectives of lignocellulose-based biohydrogen production

Hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) using dark fermentation is an interesting research niche being developed over the last decade. This review analyses the relevant studies which focused on biohydrogen production from LCB using dark fermentation techniques in terms of substrate characterization, bottlenecks associated with the pretreatment and its subsequent utilization, possible remedies for the scale-up of the most adapted processes and finally the prospects and suggestions which may be envisaged. Studies dealing primarily with the utilization of raw and pretreated LCB have been assessed in terms of biohydrogen production performance for production rate and yield. Energy production analysis and prospecting of suitable cellulosic biomass and efficient cellulolytic microbes have been elucidated towards better cellulose hydrolysis and efficient conversion of LCB to H2 in addition to process economics.