Methods of Biohydrogen Production and Usage of Bioreactors for Biohydrogen Production

The importance of renewable energy sources are increasing everyday because of the reasons such as the rapid depletion of fossil fuels such as coal and petrol derivatatives and the pollution originated with the utilization of such alternatives. Sustainability, less harm to the environment compared with fossil fuels and its availability in many countries are among the important advantages of renewable energy utilization. One of these fuels is hydrogen and it can be produced from several raw materials such as sugar cane stalks, rice straw, kitchen waste because hydrogen presents in compounds in nature. When compared with other fuel types, hydrogen has the highest energy content per unit mass. 1 kg hydrogen has the energy which is equal to 2.8 kg oil or 2.1 kg natural gas. When hydrogen is used as fuel, the product is only water or water vapor. Hydrogen gas can be produced by solar energy, wind, wave and biomass. Hydrogen production processes are electrochemical methods, thermal methods and biological hydrogen utilization. Electrochemical and thermal hydrogen production processes are not always environmentally friendly. On the other side, biological hydrogen production systems require less energy which occurs under suitable pressure and temperature. Therefore, biological hydrogen production should be considered as an alternative. In this study, methods of biohydrogen production and applicable bioreactor types are examined