Dark Fermentative Hydrogen Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

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This chapter focuses on the technological background of dark fermentative hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass. Firstly, the utilization of biomass with various conversion technologies for biofuel production is described, and specific biological hydrogen production processes are highlighted. Then, the basic principles of dark hydrogen fermentation and the current technology of the process are outlined. Among the different processes for biological hydrogen production, dark fermentation is advantageous because it is relatively inexpensive and it has low energy demands. The influence of the key process parameters on dark fermentative hydrogen production is summarized and, subsequently, the use of lignocellulosic raw materials for hydrogen production is examined in detail. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is typically required prior to fermentative hydrogen production because most hydrogen-producing microorganisms cannot directly utilize cellulose or hemicellulose as a carbon source to grow and produce hydrogen. In particular, the influence of biomass type and pretreatment method on hydrogen yield and productivity is discussed. Moreover, the potential of the coproducts to be further valorized toward the improvement of the economic profile of the process is explored. Finally, the challenges of dark fermentative hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass as well as the major conclusions drawn and the perspectives for further development are discussed.