Anaerobic Production of Hydrogen from Sewage Biosolids

Wastewater Treatment Research Unit

Hydrogen Research Unit

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Aims

The research program aims to:

• Investigate and optimise the production of hydrogen gas via anaerobic fermentation of wastewater biosolids.
• Determine the effects of operational parameters on the efficiency of this process.
• Assess and evaluate the impact of integrating a hydrogen producing acidogenic reactor with a conventional methanogenic reactor.

Background

Considerable interest has been shown in using hydrogen as fuel in both combustion engines and in conjunction with fuel cell technology, primarily because it represents a renewable energy source with lower emissions than current fossil fuels.

Hydrogen can be produced fementatively from a range of biosolids by certain anaerobic micro-organisms. Notable hydrogen yields have been produced from sugar factory wastewater by Ueno et. al. (1996) and from municipal wastewater by Wang et. al. (2002). This method of hydrogen production is attractive because it is carbon neutral, it can be used with a wide range of substrates and involves a relatively low cost, simple reactor design.

Sewage biosolids are an abundant waste product, which is already successfully treated using anaerobic digestion. The wastewater biosolids under consideration are mixtures of raw sewage sludge and inputs from other treatment streams within the wastewater treatment plant. We propose to use sewage biosolids as a substrate for the production of hydrogen via continuous anaerobic fermentation, prior to treatment via methanogenic anaerobic digestion. This novel approach should increase net energy production compared with methanogenic anaerobic digestion alone, and improve overall treatment efficiency.