1. Biohydrogen production
Unit of Functional Bionanomaterials
School of Biosciences
Prof Lynne E Macaskie
Rafael Orozco
Dr Mark D Redwood

2. Why bio-hydrogen? Unique combination of advantages:
Renewable/sustainable energy sources
Organic matter and sunlight
Inherently free of fuel cell poisons
CO, H2S
Waste disposal
food waste
agricultural residues
Simple/cheap process
Ambient temperature & pressure

3. Solar energy means large
Method
Net energy / area
kWh/day/hectare
Source
UoB’s bio hydrogen
(UK) (+ gate fees)
Biowaste2energy
Photovoltaics (PV)
665 (Bavaria)
Bavaria Solarpark
Wind
480 (UK, on shore)
MacKay (2009)
Anaerobic Digestion (AD)
425 (+ gate fees)
Vagron, Netherlands*
Plant-derived bio-fuels
~120 (UK)
Algae-derived bio-diesel
Purportedly better than plants
* Including parasitic energy and total site area. Published values use the raw energy generated and only the space occupied by the digester.

4. Recycle excess bacterial cells for metal recovery and catalysis
Biohydrogen at UoB
Recycle excess bacterial cells for metal recovery and catalysis H2
Dark
Fermentation
Photo-
Fermentation
Sugary waste
Clean water
Organic
acids
We focus on 2 methods
Dark fermentation
Photofermentation

5. E. coli fermentation
Bench scale (1ml-20L) Pilot scale (120 L)

6. Dark fermentation in E. coli
Ideally:
1 Glucose  2 H2 + 1 acetate + 1 ethanol + 2 CO2
We select E. coli because
Fast aerobic growth
Tolerance to O2 during anaerobic fermentation
Best tolerance to H2 partial pressure
No sporulation
Best-characterised genetic background for GM
E.g. removal of uptake hydrogenases

7. Fermentation with product separation
Anion
Cation
Anion-selective
membrane
+/-
Fermentation
Concentrated
organic
acids - +
Electrodialysis uses an anion selective membrane and direct current
OAs cross the membrane due to negative charge

8. Photofermentation Organic acids  H2 + CO2 Purple non-sulphur bacteria
Rhodobacter spp.
Anoxygenic photosynthesis
High yield, broad substrate range
e.g. Lactate  6 H2
e.g. Butyrate  10 H2
H2 produced by Nitrogenase enzyme
Very sensitive to NH4+
Select wastes with high C/N
Light conversion efficiency
Up to ~5%

9. Solar hydrogen production in Birmingham
March, June and even October
Logging equipment for light intensity and temperature.
Water heater pumps 30 °C water to the jackets

10. Photobioreactors

11. Solar simulation PBR at Birmingham
Tubular array
Simulates 0.5 m2 of sunlit area
Variable volume
up to 50 L
Lamps deliver programmed light patterns
Simulates any location or season

12. Commercialising biohydrogen
Spin-out company: Biowaste2energy Ltd
Formed in 2008
Startup investment from Modern Waste
Purpose: to commercialise waste to hydrogen
Business model
Gate fees for disposal of biodegradable waste
Biodegradable waste restricted from landfill
Generate electricity from H2
Renewables Obligation Certificate.
Route to market
Add-on to anaerobic digestion

13. Thank you for your time

14. How much bioH2 can we make from biowaste?
How much hydrogen energy could be regained?
UK [food industry + domestic] = 24 M tpa
Potential to produce 280 M kg of bio-H2
Energy value: 5.6 TWh (terawatthour) and heat
UK’s electricity usage: ~350 TWh pa
~2% of UK’s total electricity demand
Not including agricultural and non- food industry wastes

15. Elimination of uptake hydrogenase
Mol of H2 equivalent
1.5 1
0.5 2