Sweet sorghum biomass fermentation: modeling of hydrogen and methane production based on ADM1
Multi-scale and/or multi-disciplinary approach to process-product innovation
Analysis of Energy Issues (T3-3a)
Keywords: sweet sorghum, hydrogen, methane, ADM1
Sweet sorghum biomass fermentation: modeling of hydrogen and methane production based on ADM1
Georgia Antonopoulou, Hariklia N. Gavala, Ioannis V. Skiadas and Gerasimos Lyberatos*
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, Karatheodori 1 st., 26500 Patras, Greece
Institute of Chemical Engineering and High Temperature Chemical Processes, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Sweet sorghum is a perennial plant, rich in readily fermentable sugars and thus it can be used as a source for biofuels production. Fermentative hydrogen production from the extractable sugars of sweet sorghum biomass was investigated in batch and continuous systems at mesophilic (35ºC) conditions. The continuous process took place in a CSTR-type bioreactor growing an indigenous mixed microbial culture and hydrogen production was studied at different hydraulic retention times (HRT). The effluent of the hydrogenogenic reactor was subsequently fed to a CSTR-type anaerobic digester for the production of methane. The methanogenic reactor was operated at three different hydraulic retention times as well. The Anaerobic Digestion Model 1 (ADM1) was used to simulate and predict the hydrogen and methane production from sweet sorghum biomass in this two-stage anaerobic process.
The ADM1 was modulated to describe the process of fermentative hydrogen production from the sugars of sorghum biomass. The model predictions for the metabolic products were satisfactory; however the structure of the model was modified, in order to improve the predictions for biohydrogen production. The intermediate products, lactate and ethanol, were included in the modified structure of the model. The modified ΑDM1 simulated batch and continuous experiments for the production of hydrogen satisfactorily. However, further essential modifications are necessary in order to improve the predictions for the hydrogenogenic process. Moreover, the ADM1 modeling framework was used to simulate the anaerobic digestion of the effluent of the hydrogenogenic process quite well.
Presented Monday 17, 15:20 to 15:40, in session Analysis of Energy Issues (T3-3a).
