Pilot Demonstration Test of Hydrogen Fermentation with Biomass

Abstract

We carried out pilot demonstration tests of hydrogen fermentation with biomass as the initial step to start a commercial. Specifically, we attempted to obtain the optimum conditions to hydrolyze non digestible food wastes and bagasse, which is the squeezed residue of sugarcane, and to operate the hydrogen fermentation process by applying the ‘Two-stage hydrogen and methane fermentation’. The two-stage hydrogen and methane fermentation exceeded the methane single fermentation in terms of energy balance. The obtained ‘BioHydrogen’ consists of 60% hydrogen and 40% carbon dioxide. Additionally, no sulfide was detected This BioHydrogen, therefore, can be used in a Fuel Cell without desulfuration. We achieved 2.4 kmol-H₂/kmol-consituent sugar, and 80% rate of gasification from the food waste and 2.4 kmol-H₂/kmol-consituent sugar, and 91% rate of gasification from bagasse.