Comparison of the use of sucrose and glucose as a substrate for hydrogen production in an upflow anaerobic fixed-bed reactor

Author(s)

Fontes Lima, Daniel Moureira ^[1] ; Moreira, Wojtyla Kmiecik ^[2] ; Zaiat, Marcelo ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos Engn Sch, Biol Proc Lab, EESC, BR-13563120 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem Engn, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY; v. 38, n. 35, p. 15074-15083, NOV 22 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 29

Abstract

This study evaluated the use of two types of substrates, glucose and sucrose, feeding an anaerobic fixed-bed bioreactor. The biogas produced was composed of H-2 and CO2, without methane. Maximum hydrogen yields were 3.22 mol H-2 mol(-1) sucrose(converted) and 1.51 mol H-2 mol(-1) glucose(converted). The main intermediates were acetic acid, butyric acid, and ethanol. The greatest difference, however, was in the stability of the process. The operation of the reactor with sucrose exhibited a drop in biogas production, whereas operation with glucose was stable after a slight decrease in biogas production. This decrease may have been caused by the differential growth of microbial populations in each reactor, namely, the growth of organisms that use the Wood-Ljungdahl metabolic pathway. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/15984-0 - Bioenergy production from wastewaters and environmental fitting of liquid and solid wastes generated
• Grantee: Marcelo Zaiat
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants