• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.168-180
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• 2023

H₂ generation from renewable sources is crucial for ensuring sustainable production of energy. One approach to achieve this goal is biohydrogen production by utilizing renewable resources such as biomass and microorganisms. In contrast to commercial methods, biohydrogen production needs ambient temperature and pressure, thereby requiring less energy and cost. Biohydrogen production can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly the emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, it is also associated with significant challenges, including low hydrogen yields, hydrodynamic issues in bioreactors, and the need for H₂ separation and purification methods to obtain high-purity H₂. Various technologies have been developed for hydrogen separation and purification, including cryogenic distillation, pressure-swing adsorption, absorption, and membrane technology. This review addresses important experimental developments in dense polymeric membranes for biohydrogen purification.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1092-1100
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• 2010

Bacteria, fungi, and protozoa inhabiting the rumen, the largest chamber of the ruminants' stomach, release large quantities of hydrogen during the fermentation of carbohydrates. The hydrogen is used by coexisting methanogens to produce methane in energy-yielding processes. This work shows, for the first time, a fundamental possibility of using a hydrogen-rich fermentation gas produced by selected rumen ciliates to feed a low-temperature hydrogen fuel cell. A biohydrogen fuel cell (BHFC) was constructed consisting of (i) a bioreactor, in which a hydrogen-rich gas was produced from glucose by rumen ciliates, mainly of the Isotrichidae family, deprived of intra- and extracellular bacteria, methanogens, and fungi; and (ii) a chemical fuel cell of the polymer-electrolyte type (PEFC). The fuel cell was used as a tester of the technical applicability of the fermentation gas produced by the rumen ciliates for power generation. The average estimated hydrogen yield was ca. 1.15 mol $H_2$ per mole of fermented glucose. The BHFC performance was equal to the performance of the PEFC running on pure hydrogen. No fuel cell poisoning effects were detected. A maximum power density of $1.66\;kW/m^2$ (PEFC geometric area) was obtained at room temperature. The maximum volumetric power density was $128\;W/m^3$ but the coulombic efficiency was only ca. 3.8%. The configuration of the bioreactor limited the continuous operation time of this BHFC to ca. 14 h.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.83-94
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• 2012

The research on microbial fuel cells (MFCs) needs various knowledge of different fields such as electrochemistry, microbiology, environmental engineering, and material engineering. Although electrochemically active bacteria are very diverse, the performance of MFCs is affected primarily by the structure of the reactor system. Thus, the development in the system architecture is critical to lower internal resistance and increase power generation for commercialization. This paper summarizes the principles of MFCs and demonstrates the infinite potential of MFCs in various applications including wastewater treatment, biosensors, biohydrogen production, remote power sources, implantable medical devices, etc.