Continuous hydrogen production in a trickling bed reactor by using triticale silage as inoculum: effect of simple and complex substrates

Previous studies have reported that complexity of the substrate, type of inoculum and reactor configuration strongly affect fermentative hydrogen production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of simple (glucose, xylose and sucrose) and complex (acid and enzymatic oat straw hydrolysates) substrates on the continuous hydrogen production in a trickling bed reactor. Novel inoculum (triticale silage) and biofilm support configuration (vertically organized PET tubing) were tested.