MODELING OF HYDROGEN PRODUCTION IN BIOFILM REACTORS: APPLICATION OF THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION MODEL 1

FUENTES MORA M; N. J. SCENNA; AGUIRRE P.

Congreso; Cuarto Congreso Nacional – Tercer Congreso Iberoamericano Hidrógeno y Fuentes Sustentables de Energía – HYFUSEN 2011; 2011

Hydrogen can be produced substantially at a high rate by anaerobic fermentation from organic waste or wastewater. The aim of the work is to model the hydrogen production in anaerobic biofilm reactors using a modeling methodology previously published. The global model combines the dynamics of the three phases present in the reactor including biochemical, physico-chemical and hydrodynamic processes. The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was selected to calculate the global yield of hydrogen produced from a sugar-based substrate source. As model application, an example based on the start-up and operational performance of an anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) reactor is presented. Several details of reactor design, biofilm and substrate characteristics, and operational conditions are required for model adjustment and validation. Only the parameter related to biomass transport phenomena was estimated by simulation, and no other parameters had to be modified. Values around 1×10-22 dm d2 g-1 were calculated. A good agreement between experimental and predicted values of soluble metabolic products and hydrogen production rate are obtained.