Conversion of cellulose fermentation end products to hydrogen in microbial electrolysis cells

Hydrogen production is becoming increasingly important as a source of fuel for fuel cells. So far, most of the hydrogen produced is derived from fossil fuels. Ecologically clean and renewable methods of producing hydrogen include microbial fermentation and the use microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), also known as bioelectrochemically assisted microbial reactors or BEAMRs. Microbial fermentation using cellulose is possible, however, less than 15% of the organic matter is typically converted to hydrogen with most of the energy still contained in soluble end products such as acetate and other volatile fatty acids. In this project, we are looking at degrading cellulose fermentation end-products (acetate, succinate, formate, lactate, and ethanol) from a specific fermentation end stream to produce hydrogen in single chamber MEC reactors. We are comparing the hydrogen production by mixed cultures to the complete mix of end products, to cultures pre-acclimated to the different substrates.