Design of bioreactors for biohydrogen production

Abstract

Using dark fermentation, hydrogen can be generated from renewable organics including waste materials. Key to successful application of anaerobic fermentation is to uncouple liquid and biomass retention times in reactor system. This paper reviews reactor configurations (fixed-bed, fluidized-bed, upflow anaerobic sludge blanket and continuous stirred tank reactors) and operating processes (batch, semi-continuous and continuous). Immobilized- and suspended- cell systems are compared based on biomass growth in forms of granular, biofilm, gel-entrapped bioparticle and flocs.