Factors that affect bacterial ecology in hydrogen-producing anaerobic reactors
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Factors that affect bacterial ecology in hydrogen-producing anaerobic reactors E. A. F. Vasconcelos 1 & R. C. Leitão 2 & S. T. Santaella 3
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract Hydrogen has been studied as an alternative to traditional energy sources; it is a clean and renewable fuel that on combustion generates only water as a by-product. Biological production of hydrogen can occur either via photosynthesis or fermentation. The latter is technically simple and can convert substrates like organic matter present in wastewater into a renewable energy source. Microorganisms belonging to the domains Archaea and Bacteria are responsible for the conversion of various carbon sources to biogas, including hydrogen and methane. It is important to determine the microorganisms responsible for such transformations, as they are the major players of the process. Studying the bacterial diversity, population structure, and processes that modify these communities leads to a better understanding of their ecological functions and productivity. The environmental conditions within an anaerobic hydrogen reactor can exert a selective pressure on the community, thereby affecting the population structure, diversity, and heterogeneity. Combination of appropriate operational parameters and ecological factors could lead to the development of effective bioprocesses to maximize hydrogen yield. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present a review on
* R. C. Leitão [email protected]
1
Graduate Course of Ecology and Natural Resources, Department of Biology, Federal University of Ceará, Brazil-Campus do Pici, Centro de Ciências-Bloco 902, Caixa Postal: 6021, 60455-970 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
2
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry, Rua Dra. Sara Mesquita, 2270, 60511-110 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
3
Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of Ceará, Avenida da Abolição, 3207, 60165-081 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
bacterial ecology in anaerobic hydrogen reactors and the factors that can affect bacterial diversity. Keywords Bacteria . Dark fermentation . Bacterial diversity . Renewable energy
Introduction Majority of the energy that is currently produced and consumed worldwide comes from non-renewable sources such as oil, gas, or coal with increasing contributions from renewable sources [1–3]. The intensification of industrial and technological development has encouraged the expansion of renewable energy sources to gradually replace fossil fuels along with increasing discussions on climate change due to concerns regarding global emissions, reduction of oil and gas reserves around the world, and the difficulty of finding and accessing new oil sources in deeper layers [1, 4]. Hydrogen, a clean and renewable fuel, has been studied as a possible alternative to traditional energy sources because on combustion it only generates water as a by-product and presents more energetic capabilities than fossil fuels [5]. It is 50 % more efficient than gasoline, and its abundance is 2.75-fol
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