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Effects of pH and hydraulic retention time on hydrogen production versus methanogenesis during anaerobic fermentation of organic household solid waste under extreme‐thermophilic temperature (70°C)
Author(s) -
Liu Dawei,
Zeng Raymond J.,
Angelidaki Irini
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.21834
Subject(s) - methanogenesis , hydraulic retention time , hydrogen production , chemistry , thermophile , methane , hydrogen , fermentation , anaerobic digestion , anaerobic exercise , yield (engineering) , fermentative hydrogen production , pulp and paper industry , waste management , wastewater , food science , biohydrogen , biochemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , biology , physiology , engineering , metallurgy , enzyme
Abstract Two continuously stirred tank reactors were operated with household solid waste at 70°C, for hydrogen and methane production. The individual effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 days) at pH 7 or pH (5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7) at 3‐day HRT was investigated on the hydrogen production versus methanogenesis. It was found that at pH 7, the maximum hydrogen yield was 107 mL‐H 2 /g VS added (volatile solid added) but no stable hydrogen production was obtained as after some time methanogenesis was initiated at all tested HRTs. This demonstrated that sludge retention time alone was not enough for washing out the methanogens at pH 7 under extreme‐thermophilic conditions. Oppositely, we showed that keeping the pH level at 5.5 was enough to inhibit methane and produce hydrogen stably at 3‐day HRT. However, the maximum stable hydrogen yield was low at 21 mL‐H 2 /g VS added . Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;100: 1108–1114. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.