Enhancing photo-fermentation biohydrogen production by strengthening the beneficial metabolic products with catalysts

Abstract The aim of the present study is to evaluate the role of catalysts in enhancing the energy conversion efficiency and photo-fermentation biohydrogen yield from corn stalk (CS) by strengthening the beneficial metabolic products. The effects of catalysts on biohydrogen production, fermentation broth, energy conversion efficiency, and CS structure were studied. The maximum hydrogen yield (160.4 ± 2.7 mL/g CS) and highest energy conversion efficiency (11.90%) were achieved at a zeolite concentration of 0.2 g/g CS, which was 33.33% higher prior to catalyst addition. A 15.93% increase in hydrogen yield was obtained by adding 0.2 g/g CS of kieselguhr to the liquid culture. While no significant increase in hydrogen yield was found when activated carbon was added, it was found that zeolite can significantly increase the energy conversion efficiency and biohydrogen yield by controlling the metabolism of sugar to propionic during the photo-fermentation process. The interaction of enzymolysis and biohydrogen production significantly changed the microstructure of CS. It is of great significance to improve the utilization of CS and the performance of photo-fermentation biohydrogen production. Furthermore, it is conducive to the cleaner production and industrial promotion of biological hydrogen production.