Nanoparticles in Biological Hydrogen Production: An Overview

Biological hydrogen (H-2) production enhancement through the use of nanoparticles (NPs) supplement in the media is being recognized as a promising approach. The NPs, including those of metal and metal oxides have shown a significant improvement in the BHP. A number of organisms as pure or mixed cultures can produce H-2 in presence of NPs from pure sugars and biowaste as a feed. However, their H-2 production efficiencies have been found to vary significantly with the type of NPs and their concentration. In this review article, the potential role of NPs in the enhancement of H-2 production has been assessed in dark- and photo-fermentative organisms using sugars and biowaste materials as feed. Further, the integrative approaches for commercial applications of NPs in BHP have been discussed.