The Operation Characteristics of Biohydrogen Production in Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor with Molasses

摘要

The feasibility and operation characteristics of anaerobic fermentation biohydrogen production in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) were investigated for treating molasses wastewater. The research indicates that the reactor has the capacity of continuously producing hydrogen in an initial biomass (as volatile suspension solids) of 17.74 g/L, temperature of (35±1)°C, hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h, and the reactor can start up the ethanol-type fermentation in 12 days and realize stable hydrogen production. Furthermore, the CSTR reactor enjoys a favorable stability even with an organic shock loading. When the organic loading rate (OLR) increased from 8 kg/(m~3·d) to 24 kg/(m~3·d), the CSTR system reached a new steady state within 9 d. The hydrogen yield and COD removal increased from 3 L and 8% to 12 L and 20% respectively with the hydrogen content of 47%.