Optimization of biohydrogen production from sweet sorghum syrup using statistical methods

This study employed statistically based experimental designs to optimize fermentation conditions for hydrogen production from sweet sorghum syrup by anaerobic mixed cultures. Initial screening of important factors influencing hydrogen production, i.e., total sugar, initial pH, nutrient solution, iron (II) sulphate (FeSO₄), peptone and sodium bicarbonate was conducted by the Plackett–Burman method. Results indicated that only FeSO₄ had statistically significant (P ≤ 0.005) influences on specific hydrogen production (P_s) while total sugar and initial pH had an interdependent effect on P_s. Optimal conditions for the maximal P_s were 25 g/L total sugar, 4.75 initial pH and 1.45 g/L FeSO₄ in which P_s of 6897 mL H₂/L was estimated. Estimated optimum conditions revealed only 0.04% difference from the actual P_s of 6864 mL H₂/L which suggested that the optimal conditions obtained can be practically applied to produce hydrogen from sweet sorghum syrup with the least error.     

Potential reduction of nonstructural carbohydrate losses by juice expression prior to ensiling sweet sorghum

Both the nonstructural carbohydrate (sugar) and structural carbohydrate (fiber) components of sweet sorghum must be collected and utilized, if it is to be competitive as an ethanol feedstock. Sugar collected in juice expressed from chopped whole stalks equaled 42% of whole-stalk sugar. Potential increase in press performance resulting from removal of a rind-leaf function was investigated. A fractionation ratio of 0.25 (rind-leaf fraction equal to 25% whole-stalk mass separated prior to juice expression) gave maximum collection of sugar in the juice. Collected sugar was 52% of whole-stalk sugar. Extraction ratio (mass of juice divided by input mass) increased from 0.36 for chopped whole stalks to 0.60 for the 0.25 fractionation ratio (F_r = 0.25) sorghum. For higher fractionation ratios, the increase in extraction ratio was not sufficient to offset sugar loss due to rind-leaf removal. Assuming press capacity (Mg h⁻¹) is the same for both chopped whole-stalk and F_r = 0.25 sorghum, press performance (juice sugar collected per h) will increase by 67%. Removal of juice sugar reduced expected sugar conversion during ensiling from 92% of initial sugar (chopped whole stalk) to 40% (combination silage produced from residues from F_r = 0.25 processing). An expression was derived to calculate nonstructural carbohydrate (NC) content of combination silage produced by combining the pith presscake and rind-leaf fractions. Minimum NC occurred for F_r = 0.25.     

Optimization and characterization studies on bio-oil production from palm shell by pyrolysis using response surface methodology

In this work palm shell waste was pyrolyzed to produces bio-oil. The effects of several parameters on the pyrolysis efficiency were tested to identify the optimal bio-oil production conditions. The tested parameters include temperature, N₂ flow rate, feed-stock particle size, and reaction time. The experiments were conducted using a fix-bed reactor. The efficient response surface methodology (RSM), with a central composite design (CCD), were used for modeling and optimization the process parameters. The results showed that the second-order polynomial equation explains adequately the non-linear nature of the modeled response. An R² value of 0.9337 indicates a sufficient adjustment of the model with the experimental data. The optimal conditions found to be at the temperature of 500 °C, N₂ flow rate of 2 L/min, particle size of 2 mm and reaction time of 60 min and yield of bio-oil was approximately obtained 46.4 wt %. In addition, Fourier Transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to characterize the gained bio-oil under the optimum condition.     

Modeling of fermentative hydrogen production from sweet sorghum extract based on modified ADM1

The Anaerobic digestion model 1 (ADM1) framework can be used to predict fermentative hydrogen production, since the latter is directly related to the acidogenic stage of the anaerobic digestion process. In this study, the ADM1 model framework was used to simulate and predict the process of fermentative hydrogen production from the extractable sugars of sweet sorghum biomass. Kinetic parameters for sugars’ consumption and yield coefficients of acetic, propionic and butyric acid production were estimated using the experimental data obtained from the steady states of a CSTR. Batch experiments were used for kinetic parameter validation. Since the ADM1 does not account for metabolic products such as lactic acid and ethanol that are crucial during the fermentative hydrogen production process, the structure of the model was modified to include lactate and ethanol among the metabolites and to improve the predictions. The modified ADM1 simulated satisfactorily batch experiments although further modifications could be made in order to further improve the predictions for the hydrogenogenic process.     

Refining bioethanol from stalk juice of sweet sorghum by immobilized yeast fermentation

The relationship between total soluble sugar content and Brix in stalk juice of sweet sorghum was determined through one-dimensional linear regression. Meanwhile, bioethanol fermentation experiments were conducted in shaking flasks and 10 l fluidized bed bioreactor with stalk juice of Yuantian No. 1 sweet sorghum cultivar when immobilized yeast was applied. The experimental results in the shaking flasks showed that the order of influence on improving ethanol yield was (NH₄)₂SO₄>MgSO₄>K₂HPO₄, and the optimum inorganic salts supplement dose was determined as follows: K₂HPO₄ 0%, (NH₄)₂SO₄ 0.2%, MgSO₄ 0.05%. When the optimum inorganic salts supplement dose was used in fermentation in 10 l fluidized bed reactor, the fermentation time and ethanol content were 5 h and 6.2% (v/v), respectively, and ethanol yield was 91.61%, which was increased by 9.73% than blank. In addition, the results showed that the fermentation time was about 6–8 times shorter in fluidized bed bioreactor with immobilized yeast than that of conventional fermentation technology. As a result, it can be concluded that the determined optimum inorganic salts supplement dose could be used as a guide for commercial ethanol production. The fluidized bed bioreactor with immobilized yeast technology has a great potential for ethanol fermentation of stalk juice of sweet sorghum.     

Enhanced bio-hydrogen production from corn stalk by anaerobic fermentation using response surface methodology

The key process parameters of solid state enzymolysis for the generation of soluble sugar (SS) and bio-hydrogen production from corn stalk were optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM) based on a three factor-five level central composite design (CCD), respectively. The result showed that the optimal solid state enzymolysis condition from corn stalk was 47.7 °C, SCED of 0.054 g/g and 10.3 days for the maximum SS yield of 526 mg/g-TVS. Correspondingly, the optimal enzymolysis conditions from corn stalk appeared at 46.3 °C, SCED of 0.049 g/g and 7.5 days for the maximum hydrogen yield of 205.5 mL/g-TVS from the hydrolyzed substrate by the next dark fermentation. In addition, the bio-hydrogen production mechanism from corn stalk was preliminary investigated by XRD and SEM analyses. The results suggested that the solid state enzymolysis of substrate played a vital role in the effective conversion of corn stalk into bio-hydrogen by dark fermentation.     

Biological hydrogen production from sweet sorghum syrup by mixed cultures using an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR)

Continuous biological hydrogen production from sweet sorghum syrup by mixed cultures was investigated by using anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR). The ASBR was conducted based on the optimum condition obtained from batch experiment i.e. 25 g/L of total sugar concentration, 1.45 g/L of FeSO₄ and pH of 5.0. Feasibility of continuous hydrogen fermentation in ASBR operation at room temperature (30 ± 3 °C) with different hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 96, 48, 24 and 12 hr and cycle periods consisting of filling (20 min), settling (20 min), and decanting (20 min) phases was analyzed. Results showed that hydrogen content decreased with a reduction in HRT i.e. from 42.93% (96 hr HRT) to 21.06% (12 hr HRT). Decrease in HRT resulted in a decrease of solvents produced which was from 10.77 to 2.67 mg/L for acetone and 78.25 mg/L to zero for butanol at HRT of 96 hr-12 hr, respectively. HRT of 24 hr was the optimum condition for ASBR operation indicated by the maximum hydrogen yield of 0.68 mol H₂/mol hexose. The microbial determination in DGGE analysis indicated that the well-known hydrogen producers Clostridia species were dominant in the reacting step. The presence of Sporolactobacillus sp. which could excrete the bacteriocins causing the adverse effect on hydrogen-producing bacteria might responsible for the low hydrogen content obtained.     

Influence of pH on fermentative hydrogen production from sweet sorghum extract

The present study focused on the influence of pH on the fermentative hydrogen production from the sugars of sweet sorghum extract, in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor. The reactor was operated at a Hydraulic Retention Time of 12 h and a pH range of 3.5–6.5. The maximum hydrogen production rate and yield were obtained at pH 5.3 and were 1752 ± 54 mL H₂/d or 3.50 ± 0.07 L H₂/L reactor/d and 0.93 ± 0.03 mol H₂/mol glucose consumed or 10.51 L H₂/kg sweet sorghum, respectively. The main metabolic product at this pH value was butyric acid. The hydrogen productivity and yield were still at high levels for the pH range of 5.3–4.7, suggesting a pH value of 4.7 as optimum for hydrogen production from an economical point of view, since the energy demand for chemicals is lower at this pH. At this pH range, the dominant fermentation product was butyric acid but when the pH culture sharply decreased to 3.5, hydrogen evolution ceased and the dominant metabolic products were lactic acid and ethanol.     

Bioethanol production from sweet sorghum: Evaluation of post-harvest treatments on sugar extraction and fermentation

Three experimental sweet sorghum varieties (M81, Topper and Theis) and three post-harvest conditions were evaluated for ethanol production: juices extracted by milling were obtained from the whole plant, plant without panicle, and stalk (plant without panicle and leaves), respectively. A linear relationship was found between the total fermentable sugar concentrations and Brix degrees of the juices, which can predict the potential ethanol yield by field analytical tests. The juice extractability presented different behavior among the sweet sorghum varieties with respect to the treatments studied. However such treatments did not affect the level of sugar concentration of the juices obtained and the fermentation efficiency. Topper and Theis showed the best performance in terms of ethanol concentration, fermentation efficiency and ethanol yield. The variety used and its post-harvest treatment should be appropriately selected in order to improve the ethanol production from sweet sorghum.     

Optimization of heterogeneous biodiesel production from waste cooking palm oil via response surface methodology

Heterogeneous transesterification of waste cooking palm oil (WCPO) to biodiesel over Sr/ZrO₂ catalyst and the optimization of the process have been investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the relationships of methanol to oil molar ratio, catalyst loading, reaction time, and reaction temperature on methyl ester yield and free fatty acid conversion. The experiments were designed using central composite by applying 2⁴ full factorial designs with two centre points. Transesterification of WCPO produced 79.7% maximum methyl ester yield at the optimum methanol to oil molar ratio = 29:1, catalyst loading = 2.7 wt%, reaction time = 87 min and reaction temperature = 115.5 °C.     

Hydrogen production from aqueous-phase reforming of sorghum biomass: An application of the response surface methodology

Aqueous-phase reforming (APR) of sorghum hydrolyzate was performed in a fixed bed reactor applying response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box–Behnken design (BBD) to produce hydrogen gas. The results showed that RSM based on the BBD was a well-matched method for optimizing of APR of sorghum hydrolyzate. The independent variables such as interactive effects of temperature, feed flow rate, and carbon content of sorghum hydrolyzate on the APR were investigated. The mathematical model and experimental results showed that the operation temperature was the main positive linear effect whereas the interaction between temperature and feed flow rate was the main negative linear effect on the hydrogen yield. The highest hydrogen production was found to be a temperature of 270 °C, a hydrolyzate flow rate of 0.30 mL/min, and a carbon content of biomass concentration of 2500 mg/L. The highest H₂/CO₂ mole ratio (7.9) obtained at 270 °C when carbon content of sorghum hydrolyzate was 1000 mg/L.     

Optimization of furfural production from millet husk using response surface methodology

Biomass has been recognized as a viable source for energy and bio-based chemicals. This study reported furfural production from millet husk via simultaneous hydrolysis and dehydration processes. Effect of reaction variables such as temperature (120–200°C), resident time (15–45 min), and acid concentration (5–10%) was studied using central composite design. Furfural yield (71.55%) was achieved at 184°C, 39 min, and 9% acid concentration. FT-IR spectrum of the produced furfural showed absorption at 1,697 and 2,880 cm^?1 indicating a conjugated carbonyl functional group and aldehydic hydrogen. The results revealed that millet husk could be a potential substrate for furfural production.     

Effect of substrate concentration on fermentative hydrogen production from sweet sorghum extract

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of substrate concentration on the fermentative hydrogen production from sweet sorghum extract, in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor. The reactor was operated at a Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) of 12 h and carbohydrate concentrations ranging from 9.89 to 20.99 g/L, in glucose equivalents. The maximum hydrogen production rate and yield were obtained at the concentration of 17.50 g carbohydrates/L and were 2.93 ± 0.09 L H₂/L reactor/d and 0.74 ± 0.02 mol H₂/mol glucose consumed, corresponding to 8.81 ± 0.02 L H₂/kg sweet sorghum, respectively. The main metabolic product at all steady states was butyric acid, while ethanol production was high at high substrate concentrations. The experiments showed that hydrogen productivity depends significantly on the initial carbohydrate concentration, which also influences the distribution of the metabolic products.     

Pretreatment of sweet sorghum bagasse for hydrogen production by Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus

Pretreatment of sweet sorghum bagasse, an energy crop residue, with NaOH for the production of fermentable substrates, was investigated. Optimal conditions for the alkaline pretreatment of sweet sorghum bagasse were realized at 10% NaOH (w/w dry matter). A delignification of 46% was then observed, and improved significantly the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. Under hydrolysis conditions without pH control, up to 50% and 41% of the cellulose and hemicellulose contained in NaOH-pretreated sweet sorghum bagasse were converted by 24 h enzymatic hydrolysis to soluble monomeric sugars. The extreme thermophilic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus showed normal growth on hydrolysates of NaOH-pretreated biomass up to a sugar concentration of 20 g/L. Besides hydrogen, the main metabolic products detected in the fermentations were acetic and lactic acid. The maximal hydrogen yield observed in batch experiments under controlled conditions was 2.6 mol/mol C6 sugar. The maximal volumetric hydrogen production rate ranged from 10.2 to 10.6 mmol/(L h). At higher substrate concentrations the production of lactic acid increased at the expense of hydrogen production.     

Coproduction of hydrogen and volatile fatty acid via thermophilic fermentation of sweet sorghum stalk from co-culture of Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum

This study was focused on investigating the potential of hydrogen and volatile fatty acid (VFA) coproduction. Sweet sorghum stalks (SS) were used as substrate along with Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum as production microbes. Inoculation ratio of C. thermosaccharolyticum to C. thermocellum (0:1–1.5:1 and 1:0 v/v), substrate concentrations (2.5–15.0 g/L) and inoculation time intervals of C. thermosaccharolyticum followed by C. thermocellum (0–48 h) were investigated. Experimental data showed that higher yields of hydrogen and VFA were obtained in the co-culture than their individual cultures. The optimum conditions for the highest yield of products found as 1:1 inoculation ratio of both strains, 24 h of time gap between C. thermosaccharolyticum followed by C. thermocellum after the first inoculation and 5 g/L of substrate concentration. The maximum yield of products was observed as hydrogen (5.1 mmol/g-substrate), acetic acid (1.27 g/L) and butyric acid (1.05 g/L) at optimum conditions. The results suggest that SS can be used for simultaneous production of hydrogen and VFA employing co-culture of C. thermocellum and C. thermosaccharolyticum strains. This approach can contribute to the sustainability of biorefinery.     

Optimization of fermentative hydrogen production process by response surface methodology

The effect of temperature, initial pH and glucose concentration on fermentative hydrogen production by mixed cultures was investigated in batch tests, and the optimization of fermentative hydrogen production process was conducted by response surface methodology with a central composite design. Experimental results showed that temperatures, initial pH and glucose concentrations had impact on fermentative hydrogen production individually and interactively. The maximum hydrogen yield of 289.8 mL/g glucose was estimated at the temperature of 38.6 °C, the initial pH of 7.2 and the glucose concentration of 23.9 g/L. The maximum hydrogen production rate of 28.2 mL/h was estimated at the temperature of 37.8 °C, the initial pH of 7.2 and the glucose concentration of 27.6 g/L. The maximum substrate degradation efficiency of 96.9% was estimated at the temperature of 39.3 °C, the initial pH of 7.0 and the glucose concentration of 26.8 g/L. Response surface methodology was a better method to optimize the fermentative hydrogen production process. Modified logistic model could describe the progress of cumulative hydrogen production in the batch tests of this study successfully.     

Optimization of hydrogen production by photocatalytic steam methane reforming over lanthanum modified Titanium (IV) oxide using response surface methodology

In this study, the optimization of hydrogen production by photocatalytic steam methane reforming over Lanthanum modified TiO₂ has been investigated using response surface methodology. The La/TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized using wet impregnation method and characterized for physicochemical and photocatalytic properties by N₂ physisorption, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The characterization shows that the La/TiO₂ possesses appropriate properties to be used as photocatalysts. The photocatalysts were employed in the optimization studies of hydrogen production by photocatalytic steam methane reforming. The effects of irradiation time (10–150 min), metal loading (1–3%), methane concentration (10–50%), and steam concentration (0.5–1.5%) on the rate of hydrogen production were determined employing Box-Behnken experimental design. The application of the RSM resulted in the formulation of four models out which the quadratic model was adjudged to adequately fit the experimental data. A further statistical analysis of the quadratic model established the significance of the model with p-value far less than 0.05 and coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.975. A non-significant lack of fit obtained for the model further confirm the suitability of the quadratic model in fitting the experimental data. At the desirability function of 1, optimum conditions of 146.15 min, 2.94%, 22.83% and 1.24% for irradiation time, metal loading, methane concentration, and steam concentration, respectively resulted in the production of 2.42 μmol of hydrogen/min.     

Optimization of media conditions for the production of ethanol from sweet sorghum juice by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In order to obtain high ethanol yield and fermentation rate, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the effect of culture medium on the ethanol productivity from stalk juice of sweet sorghum by immobilized yeast. A 2³ central composite design (CCD) was chosen to explain the combined effects of the medium constituents, viz. nitrogen (adjusted by adding (NH₄)₂SO₄), phosphorus (adjusted by adding KH₂PO₄), and pH. A mathematical correlation about the influence of the nitrogen, phosphorus, and pH on the ethanol productivity was established. It predicted that the maximum ethanol production rate (119.12 g/l h) was observed for a medium consisting of 0.77 g/l phosphorus, 2.15 g/l nitrogen, and pH = 6.39. Under this condition, the ethanol fermentation rate was 122.85 g/l h.     

Determining optimum conditions for hydrogen production from glucose by an anaerobic culture using response surface methodology (RSM)

Hydrogen fermentation is a very complex process and is greatly influenced by many factors. Previous studies have demonstrated that temperature, pH and substrate are important factors controlling biological H₂ production. Response surface methodology with central composite design was used in this study to optimize H₂ production from glucose by an anaerobic culture. The individual and interactive effects of pH, temperature and glucose concentration on H₂ production were also evaluated. The optimum conditions for maximum H₂ yield of 1.75 mol-H₂ mol-glucose⁻¹ were found as temperature 38.8 °C, pH 5.7 and glucose concentration 9.7 g L⁻¹. The linear effects of temperature and pH as well as their quadratic effects on H₂ yield were significant, while the interactive effects of three parameters were minor.     

Optimization of fermentative hydrogen production by Enterococcus faecium INET2 using response surface methodology

A newly isolated strain Enterococcus faecium INET2 was used as inoculum for biohydrogen production through dark fermentation. The individual and interactive effect of initial pH, operation temperature, glucose concentration and inoculation amount on the accumulation of hydrogen during fermentation was examined by a Box–Behnken Design (BBD), and hydrogen production process was analyzed at the optimal condition. A significant interactive effect between glucose concentration and pH was observed, the optimal condition was initial pH 7.1, operation temperature 34.8 °C, glucose concentration 11.3 g/L and inoculation amount 10.4%. Hydrogen yield, maximum hydrogen production rate and hydrogen production potential were determined to be 1.29 mol H₂/mol glucose, 86.7 L H₂/L/h and 1.35 L H₂/L. Metabolites analysis showed that E. faecium INET2 followed the pyruvate: formate lyase (Pfl) pathway in first 16 h, followed by the acetate-type fermentation and then shifted to butyrate-type fermentation. Maximum hydrogen production rate was accompanied with a quick formation of acetic acid.