76
matter fed into the bioreactor [93]. For increasing the energetic yields, one approach
is to couple dark fermentation with other processes from which a second useable
form of energy can be obtained. The remaining organic matter from dark fermentation could be thus reused either to produce biomethane or to recover additional
biohydrogen by photo-fermentation or in a modified microbial fuel cell [93, 96].
Advanced fuel gas recovery could be carried out in a two-stage process as seen
in Fig. 8.
Integrated technologies offer several advantages such as higher net energy recovery and better waste stabilization. The two (multi-)step processes are promising
technologies, but their practical applicability is fairly narrow, and further research is
still required in order to enhance their viability.
8 Future Prospects and Innovative Research Directions
Numerous social, economic and environmental reasons have increasingly driven
interest in bioenergy production worldwide, but in the last decade vast research
work has been reported on anaerobic digestion and dark fermentation processes as
well. Important advances have been made in several research directions, but there
Fig. 8 Two-stage integrated systems for biohydrogen and biomethane recovery by anaerobic
digestion (1); additional hydrogen recovery by photo-fermentation (2); additional hydrogen recovery in a microbial fuel cell (3) (adapted after [96])
C. Mateescu and A.-D. Dima
matter fed into the bioreactor [93]. For increasing the energetic yields, one approach
is to couple dark fermentation with other processes from which a second useable
form of energy can be obtained. The remaining organic matter from dark fermentation could be thus reused either to produce biomethane or to recover additional
biohydrogen by photo-fermentation or in a modified microbial fuel cell [93, 96].
Advanced fuel gas recovery could be carried out in a two-stage process as seen
in Fig. 8.
Integrated technologies offer several advantages such as higher net energy recovery and better waste stabilization. The two (multi-)step processes are promising
technologies, but their practical applicability is fairly narrow, and further research is
still required in order to enhance their viability.
8 Future Prospects and Innovative Research Directions
Numerous social, economic and environmental reasons have increasingly driven
interest in bioenergy production worldwide, but in the last decade vast research
work has been reported on anaerobic digestion and dark fermentation processes as
well. Important advances have been made in several research directions, but there
Fig. 8 Two-stage integrated systems for biohydrogen and biomethane recovery by anaerobic
digestion (1); additional hydrogen recovery by photo-fermentation (2); additional hydrogen recovery in a microbial fuel cell (3) (adapted after [96])
C. Mateescu and A.-D. Dima