Bioelectrohydrogenesis and inhibition of methanogenic activity in microbial electrolysis cells - A review

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a promising technology for biological hydrogen production. Compared to abiotic water electrolysis, a much lower electrical voltage (~0.2V) is required for hydrogen production in MECs. It is also an attractive waste treatment technology as a variety of biodegra...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biotechnology advances 2017-11, Vol.35 (6), p.758-771
Main Authors: Karthikeyan, Rengasamy, Cheng, Ka Yu, Selvam, Ammaiyappan, Bose, Arpita, Wong, Jonathan W.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodegradability
Bioelectric Energy Sources - microbiology
Bioelectrohydrogenesis
Bioreactors - microbiology
Cells
Electricity
Electrode materials
Electrolysis
Electrolytic cells
Hydrogen
Hydrogen - chemistry
Hydrogen - metabolism
Hydrogen production
Inhibitor
Methane
Methane - chemistry
Methanogenesis
Microbial electrolysis cell
Microorganisms
Studies
Substrate inhibition
Technology
Waste treatment
Water treatment
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a promising technology for biological hydrogen production. Compared to abiotic water electrolysis, a much lower electrical voltage (~0.2V) is required for hydrogen production in MECs. It is also an attractive waste treatment technology as a variety of biodegradable substances can be used as the process feedstock. Underpinning this technology is a recently discovered bioelectrochemical pathway known as “bioelectrohydrogenesis”. However, little is known about the mechanism of this pathway, and numerous hurdles are yet to be addressed to maximize hydrogen yield and purity. Here, we review various aspects including reactor configurations, microorganisms, substrates, electrode materials, and inhibitors of methanogenesis in order to improve hydrogen generation in MECs. •Comprehensive review of bioelectrohydrogenesis in microbial electrolysis cell (MEC)•Factors that influence hydrogen production kinetics in MECs are discussed.•Approaches for inhibiting methanogenic activity in MECs are discussed in detail.•Effective suppression of methanogenesis in MEC is challenging and requires future research.
ISSN:0734-9750
1873-1899
DOI:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2017.07.004