Abstract
In this study, characteristics of chars from four types of woody waste biomass, namely, bamboo, bamboo leaf, reed, and rice husk, and their application to immobilization carriers for hydrogen fermentation were investigated. Fermentative hydrogen production capacities with woody chars were compared to select the most suitable char materials for fermentative hydrogen production. In comparison with the initial pH of the sterilized media alone, the addition of char materials shifted the pH level toward the alkaline side. Pore sizes of bamboo and reed were mostly distributed in the range of 1 to 10 μm, which corresponded to the sizes of the dominant species examined in this study (Clostridium perfringens and Klebsiella oxytoca). The highest hydrogen production rate and as well as glucose consumption were obtained with bamboo char, followed by reed char, bamboo leaf char, and rice husk char. Hydrogen production rate with bamboo char was 3 L-H2/(h·L-culture), about two times higher than the control (without bamboo char).
