Hyper biohydrogen production from xylose and xylose-based hemicellulose biomass by the novel strain Clostridium sp. YD09

With increasing interest in biohydrogen as an alternative fuel to petroleum, it is essential to identify a hyper biohydrogen producer. In the present study, Clostridium sp. YD09 was isolated from a brewery wastewater upflow anaerobic sludge blanket digestion reactor; its 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing analysis showed 96 % similarity to Clostridium beijerinckii. Clostridium sp. YD09 produced the highest cumulative volume of hydrogen using xylose as the substrate (optimal concentration of 10 g/L) to obtain 1.21 mol H-2/mol xylose. Furthermore, Clostridium sp. YD09 tolerates various inhibitors from pre-treated lignocellulosic biomass up to a 0.1 % concentration. A maximum yield of 1.62 mol H-2/mol xylose and 1.98 mL H-2/mL media with 38-to 48-fold increase was recorded in ligno-hemicellulose xylose treated with biochar and activated carbon. The newly isolated Clostridium sp. YD09 can therefore be used for efficient biohydrogen production from xylose-based substrates.

Automated summary

In this study, a newly isolated strain, Clostridium sp. YD09, was found to be a high biohydrogen producer using xylose as the substrate. It also demonstrated good tolerance to inhibitors from pre-treated lignocellulosic biomass. Further enhancement in biohydrogen production was achieved through biochar and activated carbon treatment of lignocellulosic xylose.