Impact of anode surface modifications on microbial fuel cell performance and algal biomass production.

In this study, the performance of dual-chamber microbial fuel cells with carbon fiber (CF) anodes surface modified by multi-walled carbon nanotube coating (CF-MWCNT) and nitric acid treatment (CF-HNO) was compared. The performance of all these modified anodes was found to be better than bare electrode. The modified anodes were shown to significantly outperform the bare electrode anodes.

Design parameters comparison of bubble column, airlift and stirred tank photobioreactors for microalgae production.

Microalgae are the most propitious feedstock for biofuel production due to their lipid and fatty acid content. Microalgae cultivation shares many features with bioreactors, such as thermal and pH regulation, feeding procedures, and mixing to enhance heat and mass transfers. Aeration and stirring speeds are important parameters to reduce the costs of producing microalgae.

Potato peel waste fermentation by to produce lactic acid and ethanol.

Potato peel waste (PPW), a zero-value by-product generated from potato processing, is a promising fermentation substrate due to its large quantity of starch, nonstarch polysaccharides, lignin, protein, and lipid. is a filamentous fungus that is mainly known as a lactic acid producer and can ferment various agro-wastes. This study aimed to use for the fermentation of PPW.

Dynamic modeling of temperature change in outdoor operated tubular photobioreactors.

In this study, a one-dimensional transient model was developed to analyze the temperature variation of tubular photobioreactors operated outdoors and the validity of the model was tested by comparing the predictions of the model with the experimental data. The model included the effects of convection and radiative heat exchange on the reactor temperature throughout the day. The temperatures in the reactors increased with increasing solar radiation and air temperatures, and the predicted reactor temperatures corresponded well to the measured experimental values.

Implementation and analysis of temperature control strategies for outdoor photobiological hydrogen production.

For outdoor photobiological hydrogen production, the effective control of temperature in photobioreactors is a challenge. In this work, an internal cooling system for outdoor tubular photobioreactors was designed, built, and tested. The temperatures in the reactors with bacteria were consistently higher than those without bacteria, and were also strongly influenced by solar irradiation and ambient air temperature.

Bioreactor design for photofermentative hydrogen production.

Hydrogen will become a significant fuel in the near future. Photofermentative production of hydrogen is a promising and sustainable process. The design, construction and successful operation of the photobioreactors are of critical importance for photofermentative hydrogen production and became a major field of research where novel technologies are developed and adapted frequently.

Hydrogen production by hup(-) mutant and wild-type strains of Rhodobacter capsulatus from dark fermentation effluent of sugar beet thick juice in batch and continuous photobioreactors.

Photofermentative production of hydrogen is a promising and sustainable process; however, it should be coupled to dark fermentation to become cost effective. In order to integrate dark fermentation and photofermentation, the suitability of dark fermenter effluents for the photofermentative hydrogen production must be demonstrated. In this study, thermophilic dark fermenter effluent (DFE) of sugar beet thick juice was used as a substrate in photofermentation process to compare wild-type and uptake hydrogenase-deficient (hup (-)) mutant strains of Rhodobacter capsulatus by means of hydrogen production and biomass growth.

Photoproduction of hydrogen by Rhodobacter capsulatus from thermophilic fermentation effluent.

Rhodobacter capsulatus was used for the phototrophic hydrogen production on effluent solution derived from the thermophilic fermentation of Miscanthus hydrolysate by Thermotoga neapolitana. Pretreatments such as centrifugation, dilution, buffer addition, pH adjustment and sterilization were suggested for the effluent before being fed to the photofermentation. Batch-wise experiments showed that R.