Biohythane production from organic waste: Recent advancements, technical bottlenecks and prospects

The availability of fossil fuels is a major factor that determines the economy of a country. However, possible exhaustion of fossil fuel deposits as well as increased pollution, and other adverse effects on the environment has prompted us to search for alternative fuels. This resulted in the development of hythane, a blend of hydrogen with methane, at concentrations of 10%-30%. The breakdown of organic substrates using sequential dark fermentation (DF) and anaerobic digestion (AD) leads to biohythane production. The quality and quantity of biohythane can be improved by altering the following aspects: selection, development, and/or genetic engineering of suitable microbial consortium; the use of cheap, appropriate substrates; improved design of bioreactors; and the implementation of two-stage fermentation system. This review focusses on the mechanism of biohythane production and the different aspects involved in increasing both its production rate and quality. A comparative study has also been done to demonstrate the superiority of biohythane over other biofuels. (c) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Biohythane, a blend of hydrogen with methane, is produced through the breakdown of organic substrates using sequential dark fermentation and anaerobic digestion. Improving its production rate and quality can be achieved by altering microbial consortium, substrate selection, reactor design, and implementing a two-stage fermentation system. Comparative studies show the superiority of biohythane over other biofuels.