Electrolytic production of hydrogen from fermented cheese whey wastewater

The feasibility of hydrogen production using cheese whey wastewater (CWW) in an electrolytic process is investigated. The experimental setup consists of a two-compartment electrolytic cell. Different conditions are evaluated, including several electrode materials, variable pH values, and the type of cell membrane. The optimal conditions involve a 316 stainless-steel anode, nickel foam as the cathode, an anion-exchange membrane, and CWW in both the anolyte and catholyte. It was demonstrated that when using CWW as the electrolyte in the anodic chamber or simultaneously as anolyte and catholyte, it is possible to electrolytically generate hydrogen at voltages below the theoretical value required for water splitting. A maximum hydrogen productivity of 9.78 +/- 0.45 L H2/L-d was achieved (at 0.51 V), and the energy consumption is only 12.15 kWh/kg H2. These results show that the electrolytic process produces significantly more hydrogen than the biological fermentative process.