Fermentation of swine wastewater-derived duckweed for biohydrogen production

Duckweed harvested from a swine wastewater treatment system was evaluated for its potential as a fermentation feedstock for the production of biohydrogen. The effects of pretreatment and fermentation conditions on biohydrogen production were investigated in laboratory-scale batch experiments. The results showed that mild acidic thermal pretreatment (1% H2SO4 and 85 °C for 1 h) was more effective in improving the fermentability of duckweed than either thermal or mild alkaline thermal pretreatments. Fermentation of acid-pretreated duckweed resulted in a biohydrogen production of up to 75 mL H2 per g dry duckweed in 7 days (at a H2 concentration of 42%), which is comparable with other plant biomass. Overall, the results show that small aquatic plants such as duckweed can be promising substrate for biohydrogen production.

Duke Scholars

Author Marc Deshusses Civil and Environmental Engineering