International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.44, No.33, 17792-17801, 2019
Hydrogen and methane production potential of agave bagasse enzymatic hydrolysates and comparative technoeconomic feasibility implications
In the present work, agave bagasse enzymatic hydrolysates obtained with newly locally-available commercial enzymatic preparations were explored for their corresponding hydrogen and methane production potential in batch mode. The major levels in chemical oxygen demand and total carbohydrates were provided by enzymatic hydrolysates made with Zymapect and Stonezyme, respectively. Batch experiments demonstrated that Celluclast 1.5L achieves the maximum hydrogen productivity (1.88 L H-2/L), from 1.6 to 2.0-fold higher than other alternatives, whereas Zymapect attains the highest methane productivity (1.32 L CH4/L), with high specific yield reached by both Stonezyme and Zymapect (162 and 163 L CH4/kg bagasse), from 1.7 to 2.0-fold higher than other options. Finally, a preliminary technoeconomic analysis allowed to elucidate that the cheapest alternatives for hydrogen and methane production at batch scale are Celluclast 1.5L and Stonezyme, respectively. Overall, the present analysis could serve as groundwork for the selection of the best enzymatic alternatives for hydrogen and methane production. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.