Hydrogen Production by Combined Fermentation of Wild Taro and Surplus Sludge

Abstract

In order to alleviate the energy problem in the world, wild taro and residual sludge were used as the substrate for joint fermentation, and the effects of different pretreatment methods of wild taro on the joint fermentation system were studied to find the best reaction conditions, and the fermentation products were analyzed by using meteorological chromatograph. The experimental results show that the residual sludge after heat treatment can inhibit the activity of methanogens, so as to increase the yield of hydrogen. At the same time, it was found that the complex macromolecules such as cellulose rich in the wild taro could be effectively decomposed after the pre-treatment, releasing a large number of carbon sources, regulating the C/N of the anaerobic fermentation system, improving the activity of the anaerobic microorganisms in the system, so as to obtain the highest hydrogen production. When the pretreatment pH was 11 and the treatment time was 24h, the maximum gas production reached 203.5 mL, including 49.25 mL hydrogen and 24.2% hydrogen concentration.