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One-time ultrasonication pre-treatment of Rhodobacter sphaeroides was evaluated for improving biohydrogen production via photofermentation. Batch experiments were performed by varying ultrasonication amplitude (15, 30, and 45%) and duration (5, 10, and 15 min) using combined effluents from palm oil as well as pulp and paper mill as a single substrate. Experimental data showed that ultrasonication at amplitude 30% for 10 min (256.33 J/mL) achieved the highest biohydrogen yield of 9.982 mL H2/mLmedium with 5.125% of light efficiency. A maximum CODtotal removal of 44.7% was also obtained. However, when higher ultrasonication energy inputs (>256.33 J/mL) were transmitted to the cells, biohydrogen production did not improve further. In fact, 20.6% decrease of biohydrogen yield (as compared to the highest biohydrogen yield) was observed using the most intense ultrasonicated inoculum (472.59 J/mL). Field emission scanning electron microscope images revealed the occurrence of cell damages and biomass losses if ultrasonication at 472.59 J/mL was used. The present results suggested that moderate ultrasonication pre-treatment was an effective technique to improve biohydrogen production performances of R. sphaeroides.

A comparative evaluation of paperboard mill sludge (PMS) versus mixed culture bacteria (MCB) as inoculum for hydrogen production from paperboard mill wastewater (PMW) was investigated. The experiments were conducted at different initial cultivation pHs, inoculums to substrate ratios (ISRs gVS/gCOD), and hydraulic retention times (HRTs). The peak hydrogen yield (HY) of 5.29 ± 0.16 and 1.22 ± 0.11 mmol/gCODinitial was occurred at pH = 5 for MCB and PMS, respectively. At pH of 5, the HY and COD removal achieved the highest values of 2.26 ± 0.14 mmol/gCODinitial and 86 ± 1.6% at ISR = 6 for MCB, and 2.38 ± 0.25 mmol/gCODinitial and 60.4 ± 2.5% at ISRs = 3 for PMS. The maximum hydrogen production rate was 93.75 ± 8.9 mmol/day at HRT = 9.6 h from continuous upflow anaerobic reactor inoculated with MCB. Meanwhile, the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene fragments indicated a dominance of a novel hydrogen-producing bacterium of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia for PMS microbial community. On the other hand, Escherichia fergusonii and Enterobacter hormaechei were the predominant species for MCB.

Dried leaves are a potential source of energy although these are not commonly used beside to satisfy daily energy demands in rural areas. This paper aims at preparing a leafy biomass feedstock in the form of briquettes which can be directly used for combustion or to extract the combustible gas using a gasifier. Teak (Tectona grandis) and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) leaves are considered for the present study. A binder-assisted briquetting technique with tapioca starch as binder is adopted. Properties of these leafy biomass briquettes such as moisture content, calorific value, compressive strength, and shatter index are determined. From the study, briquettes with biomass-to-binder ratio of 3:5 are found to be stable. Higher mass percentage of binder is considered for preparation of briquettes due to the fact that leafy biomasses do not adhere well on densification with lower binder content. Ultimate analysis test is conducted to analyze the gasification potential of the briquettes. Results show that the leafy biomass prepared from teak and rubber leaves has calorific values of 17.5 and 17.8 MJ/kg, respectively, which are comparable with those of existing biomass feedstock made of sawdust, rice husk, and rice straw.