Is it economical and beneficial to produce hydrogen from excess corn kernels?

Abstract

The demand for hydrogen gas is expected to increase in the near future not only for use in in fuel cells but also for a wide range of industrial uses. Recently, conversion of renewable sources to hydrogen by hydrothermal processes has gained more attention because of environmentalandeconomicbenefits. As one of alternative feedstocks, corn kernel from excess corn production could be a promising material for hydrogen production by hydrothermal gasification process.In this study, hydrogen production yield of corn kernels was compared with biomass and pure glucose feeds. Advantage and disadvantage of using corn kernels in the process was discussed in in terms of feed price and environmental aspects.Hydrogen production yield of corn kernels was found to be higher than biomass and slightly less than pure glucose feed. Considering processing conditions (e.g. temperature), sustainability, environmentally friendly nature, etc. conversion of excess corn kernels to hydrogen by hydrothermal processes is an alternative promising way for hydrogen gas production however, it is still not comparable with methane feed used in natural gas reforming. Cost of the corn kernel was roughly 1.71 times higher than methane to produce the same amount of hydrogen.