Hydrogen and organic acids production from sugarcane juice and sucrose in thermophilic anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

摘要

The growing worldwide demand for energy and the the future depletion of fossil fuel reserves, make it necessary to obtain energy from other sources, with strong appeal to clean and renewable energy, focusing on the environmental aspects accompanying this process. The Brazilian sugar and ethanol industry is an example of this trend. It is the result of an energy self-sufficiency policy of the 70s, showing solid results in time of wealth and even in economic regression. The industry is currendy undergoing restructuring to increase its production portfolio and consequent production and energy efficiency. The production of hydrogen and organic acids by biological process is a relatively new line of research, however, that may represent an alternative for this sector, maximizing energy production and production of high added value products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) (ranging from 8 to 1h) in the hydrogen and organic acids production from sucrose and sugarcane juice at 5,000 mg COD L~(-1) in thermophilic anaerobic fluidized bed reactor operated at 55 °C.