Hydrogen Production with High Evolution Rate and High Yield by Immobilized Cells of Hydrogen-producing Bacteria Strain B49 in a Column Reactor

To improve the hydrogen evolution rate in continuous hydrogen production of a novel fermentative hydrogen-producing bacteria strain B49 (AF481148 in EMBL), 4 % immobilized cells by polyvinyl alcohol-boric acid method, with the addition of a small amount of calcium alginate in a column reactor obtain hydrogen yield of 2.31 mol H2/mol glucose and hydrogen evolution rate of 1435.4 ml/L culture*h respectively at medium retention time of 2.0 h with a medium containing 10g glucose/L. Moreover, as the cell density in gel beads is increased to 8%, hydrogen yield and hydrogen evolution rate for 10g glucose/L are 2.34 mol H2/mol glucose and 2912.4 ml/L culture*h respectively at medium retention time of 1.0 h, and for molasses wastewater COD of 7505.9 mg/L hydrogen production potential of 205.6 ml/g COD and hydrogen evolution rate of 2057.7 ml/L culture*h at hydraulic retention time of 0.75 h are observed. In the continuous culture pH value keeps around 3.9 by self-regulating.