The aim of HYVOLUTION is described by the full title: Non-thermal production of pure hydrogen from biomass
The core issue at stake is the combination of a thermophilic fermentation with a photoheterotrophic fermentation.
In the first fermentation thermophilic bacteria are used to start the bioprocess which offers 2 important advantages. First, thermophilic fermentation at ≥70 °C is superior in terms of hydrogen yield as compared to fermentations at ambient temperatures. In thermophilic fermentations, glucose is converted to, on the average, 3 moles of hydrogen and 2 moles of acetate as the main by-product. In contrast, in fermentations at ambient temperatures, the average yield is only 1 to 2 moles of hydrogen per mole of glucose and butyrate, propionate, ethanol or butanol are the main by-products. The second advantage is the production of acetate as the main by-product in the first fermentation. Acetate is a prime substrate for photoheterotrophic bacteria. Through the combination of thermophilic fermentation with a photoheterotrophic fermentation, complete conversion of the substrate to hydrogen and CO2 can be established.
HYVOLUTION is structured around this core issue with a design aimed at closely associating the events in the chain from biomass to hydrogen.
The workpackages addressing hydrogen production are surrounded by studies in system integration and societal integration in order to develop an economically viable, fully sustainable process for hydrogen production
The process starts with the conversion of biomass to make a suitable feedstock for the bioprocess (WP 1). The ensuing bioprocess is optimized in terms of yield and rate of hydrogen production through integrating fundamental and technological approaches, addressed in WP 2 and 3. Dedicated gas upgrading is developed for high efficiency at small-scale production units dealing with fluctuating gas streams (WP 4). Production costs will be reduced by system integration combining mass and energy balances (WP 5). The impact of small-scale hydrogen production plants is addressed in socio-economic analyses performed in WP 6.
In HYVOLUTION, 10 EU countries, Turkey and Russia are represented with prominent specialists from academia and industries and 6 Small and Medium sized enterprises. The participants in HYVOLUTION have a complementary value in being biomass suppliers, end-users or stakeholders for developing specialist enterprises and stimulating new agro-industrial development, which will be needed to make the objectives of HYVOLUTION: small-scale sustainable hydrogen production from locally produced biomass, achievable.
The aim of HYVOLUTION is to deliver prototypes of process modules which are needed to produce hydrogen of high quality in a bioprocess which is fed by multiple biomass feedstock. To achieve this aim, a coherent set of scientific and technological activities is required which are interdependent and flanked by system and societal integration for optimal economics and societal implementation.