Recent Advancement on Microbe‐Assisted Biohydrogen Production

Abstract

The requirement for an ecologically sustainable coverage of energy demand is the need of the present day. The major global concern for clean, green, and sustainable energy with environmental protection is rapidly gaining momentum among researchers around the world that leads to the search for alternative energy sources for the transportation and industrial sectors. Among all energy sources, hydrogen generation and utilization have become a promising option as a transportation fuel. Hydrogen is considered as the potential energy source for the future and is therefore also called the fuel of the future. Hydrogen is not only used as fuel source in automobile engines, but also implemented in fuel cells technology. Compared to other fossil-based fuels, hydrogen has a wide array of advantages with more net calorific value. The production of biohydrogen is a global focus to mitigate the wide use of fossil fuels for sustainability. Sustainable production of hydrogen is demanded worldwide due to a wide range of applications for the provision of energy and fuels in various sectors. The biological method, utilizing microbial communities, is recognized as the most promising option for biohydrogen production, as it is an environment-friendly process utilizing renewable waste biomass under acceptable operating conditions. This special issue features articles about hydrogen production in all aspects including algal cells, thermochemical and biochemical methods. Hydrogen production from food waste by biochemical and thermochemical methods is critically described. A complete road map regarding hydrogen-producing cellular machineries, the mechanism of catalysis, and the role of modern genetic engineering for enhancing hydrogen production are also discussed. The potential of different algal cells and their mechanisms are critically explained in this issue. The role of nanotechnology to enhance the rate of hydrogen production from biomass is presented in this issue. Additionally, metabolic pathways such as biophotolysis, photofermentation, and dark fermentation were discussed for biohydrogen production. Therefore, this special issue focuses on recent advancements and approaches on microbe-assisted biohydrogen production by biotechnological interventions like metabolic engineering of microorganisms towards biohydrogen production, fermentation technologies for hydrogen along with nanotechnology application. Dr. Prakash Kumar Sarangi College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India Prakash Kumar Sarangi