Biohydrogen production through dark fermentation from waste biomass: Current status and future perspectives on biorefinery development

Abstract

Green and clean hydrogen production has become a significant focus in recent years to achieve sustainable renewable energy fuel needs. Biohydrogen production through the dark fermentation (DF) process from organic wastes is advantageous with its environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and cost-effective characteristics. This article elucidates the viability of transforming the DF process into a biorefinery system. Operational pH, temperature, feeding rate, inoculum-to-substrate ratio, and hydrogen partial pressure and its liquid-to-gas mass transfer rate are the factors that govern the performance of the DF process. Sufficient research has been made that can lead to upscaling the DF process into an industrial-scale technology. However, the DF process cannot be upscaled at the current technology readiness level as a stand-alone technology. Hence, it requires a downstream process (preferably anaerobic digestion) to improve energy recovery efficiency and economic viability. The article also discusses the possible hydrogen purification and storage techniques for achieving fuel quality and easy accessibility. The article further tries to unfold the opportunities, challenges, and current scenario/future research directions to enhance hydrogen yield and microbial metabolism, depicting the commercialization status for biorefinery development. Finally, the current progress gaps and policy-level loopholes from the Indian perspective are highlighted by analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.