Direct fermentation of fodder maize, chicory fructans and perennial ryegrass to hydrogen using mixed microflora.

This study examined the feasibility of producing hydrogen by direct fermentation of fodder maize, chicory fructooligosaccharides and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in batch culture (pH 5.2-5.3, 35 degrees C, heat-treated anaerobically digested sludge inoculum). Gas was produced from each substrate and contained up to 50-80% hydrogen during the peak periods of gas production with the remainder carbon dioxide. Hydrogen yields obtained were 62.4+/-6.1mL/g dry matter added for fodder maize, 218+/-28mL/g chicory fructooligosaccharides added, 75.6+/-8.8mL H(2)/g dry matter added for wilted perennial ryegrass and 21.8+/-8mL H(2)/g dry matter added for fresh perennial ryegrass. Butyrate, acetate and ethanol were the main soluble fermentation products. Hydrogen yields of 392-501m(3)/hectare of perennial ryegrass per year and 1060-1309m(3)/hectare of fodder maize per year can be obtained based on the UK annual yield per hectare of these crops. These results significantly extend the range of substrates that can be used for hydrogen production without pre-treatment.

[1]  J. Lay,et al.  Biohydrogen generation by mesophilic anaerobic fermentation of microcrystalline cellulose. , 2001, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[2]  R. Dinsdale,et al.  Continuous fermentative hydrogen production from a wheat starch co‐product by mixed microflora , 2003, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[3]  R. Dinsdale,et al.  Development of a static headspace gas chromatographic procedure for the routine analysis of volatile fatty acids in wastewaters. , 2002, Journal of chromatography. A.

[4]  Godfrey Kyazze,et al.  Continuous dark fermentative hydrogen production by mesophilic microflora: principles and progress , 2007 .

[5]  R. Carlson,et al.  Fundamental Escherichia coli biochemical pathways for biomass and energy production: Identification of reactions , 2004, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[6]  A. J. Cairns,et al.  Fructan biosynthesis in excised leaves of Lolium temulentum L. I: Chromatographic characterization of oligofructans and their labelling patterns following 14CO2 feeding , 1988 .

[7]  Tatsushi Kawai,et al.  Biological production of hydrogen from cellulose by natural anaerobic microflora , 1995 .

[8]  P. V. Soest,et al.  Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. , 1991, Journal of dairy science.

[9]  F. Smith,et al.  Colorimetric Method for Determination of Sugars and Related Substances , 1956 .

[10]  Sonia Heaven,et al.  Influence of inoculum to substrate ratio on the biochemical methane potential of maize in batch tests , 2006 .

[11]  Godfrey Kyazze,et al.  The potential for hydrogen-enriched biogas production from crops: Scenarios in the UK , 2007 .

[12]  A. E. Greenberg,et al.  Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater : supplement to the sixteenth edition , 1988 .

[13]  Angelo Moreno,et al.  Biofuels for fuel cells: renewable energy from biomass fermentation , 2005 .

[14]  J. B. Kenworthy,et al.  Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. , 1976 .

[15]  Alan J Guwy,et al.  Fermentative production of hydrogen from a wheat flour industry co-product. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[16]  D L Hawkes,et al.  Performance characteristics of a two‐stage dark fermentative system producing hydrogen and methane continuously , 2007, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[17]  G. M. Dias-Tagliacozzo,et al.  Fructan variation in the rhizophores of Vernonia herbacea (Vell.) Rusby, as influenced by temperature , 1999 .

[18]  A. J. Cairns,et al.  Dissecting the regulation of fructan metabolism in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with quantitative trait locus mapping. , 2006, The New phytologist.

[19]  B. W. Li,et al.  Fructans in foods and food products, ion-exchange chromatographic method : Collaborative study , 1997 .

[20]  D L Hawkes,et al.  Influence of substrate concentration on the stability and yield of continuous biohydrogen production , 2006, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[21]  A. J. Cairns,et al.  Fructan metabolism in grasses and cereals , 1991 .

[22]  A. Webster,et al.  FibreCap: an improved method for the rapid analysis of fibre in feeding stuffs. , 2000 .