Influence of C/P and C/N ratios and microbial characterization in hydrogen and ethanol production in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of C/P and C/N ratios on the production of hydrogen and ethanol in four anaerobic fluidized bed reactors: R1 (C/N = 100), R2 (C/N = 150), R3 (C/N = 200), and R4 (C/N = 250). The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was maintained at 2 h, and the C/P ratios varied from 300 to 1100. Reactors were filled with grounded tire and fed with synthetic substrate containing glucose (5000 mg L-1). The effluent pH was around 3.7. The highest values for hydrogen yield (HY) and hydrogen production rate (HPR) were obtained at a C/P = 700 ratio in all reactors. The best performance was achieved at R3 (C/N = 200): HY of 0.76 mol H-2 mol(-1) glucose and HPR of 0.70 L h(-1) L-1. The highest value for ethanol yield was obtained at C/P = 700 in R1 (1.5 mol EtOH mol-1 glucose). Ethanol- and hydrogen-producing fermenters, such as Ethanoligenens sp. and Clostridium sp. were identified by molecular analysis. Lactobacillus sp. was also identified in this study. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.