IWWG Working Group on
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
Chair: Prof. William Clarke
Interest in the production of H2 from organic wastes is on a rapid upward trend. Numerous papers have been published on this topic over the last 10 years, traditionally focusing on fermentation conditions optimised for maximum H2 production rates and yields, temperature, microbial enrichments and various methods for suppressing methanogenic activity as control variables. More recent developments have included microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) and photo-fermentation.
In spite of extensive activities performed, current technology is only able to release a fraction of the H2 potential embodied in organic waste. Even when using pure and simple substrates such as glucose, both maximum fermentation yields (other than with the driving potential of a MEC) and oxidation of acetate to CO2 and H2 should be achieved. In particular, the treatment of solid residues represents an opportunity and a scientific challenge.
Although H2 production is an attractive area of research from a scientific and economical perspective, curiously few studies on this topic have been submitted in recent years to Waste Management or presented at IWWG conferences, certainly markedly less than the volume of activity reported in the International Water Association (IWA) journals and conferences. This is surprising because the energy content of a solid organic waste stream far outweighs that of wastewater. As far as municipal solid waste is concerned, the energy content is typically an order of magnitude greater than that of municipal wastewater. Agricultural waste also is of great interest since it constitutes the dominant source of solid organic waste in most countries.
Fledging sessions on Hydrogen production at the Sardinia 2007 and Venice 2007 Symposia were well attended, although few of the attendees are currently active in this area. To facilitate H2 research in the solid waste research community, an IWWG Task Group on H2 production has been proposed.
The Group aims to develop the following issues:
- To promote research in H2 production from residues and, in particular, from solid waste, to be considered as the most significant organic hydrogen source, as well as the technologies needed, to be developed specifically with a solid waste feedstock in mind.
- To highlight the technical challenges that are specific to use of solid waste as main substrate
- To facilitate international collaboration and create research funding opportunities
- To organise meetings and workshops between researchers in this field having as main topic fundamental research of H2 production rates and yields, health and safety aspects of H2 production at lab scale and in the field
- To become one of the main reference groups in this field to facilitate financial support for workshops and conferences and attract sponsorship.
- To explore whether H2 production is a realistic and practical process in the waste management field through economic evaluations
- To explore methods of increasing the rate and yield of H2 production
- To disseminate information on workshops, meetings and conferences through a webpage
The Group was founded by the following scientists and researchers:
L. Alibardi, University of Padova, Italy
G. Andreottola, University of Trento, Italy
W. Clarke, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
R. Cossu, University of Padova, Italy
M.C. Lavagnolo, University of Padova, Italy
A. Muntoni, University of Cagliari, Italy
A. Polettini, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
R. Pomi, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
R. Raga, University of Padova, Italy
R. Stegmann, University of Hamburg, Germany
Contacts:
William Clarke (e-mail: william.clarke@uq.edu.au) or Luca Alibardi (e-mail: luca.alibardi@unipd.it)