Biological hydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) by anaerobic consortia and Clostridium beijerinckii

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) was tested as a substrate to produce hydrogen by dark fermentation. Two microbial consortia and a pure culture of Clostridium beijerinckii (ATCC 8260) were cultured anaerobically in raw, diluted and hydrolyzed POME to compare biohydrogen production yields in all three media. Experiments were done in 15 mL Hungate tubes containing 5 mL of medium and 1 mL of inoculum. When Clostridium beijerinckii was cultivated at 30 degrees C in the hydrolyzed POME (P003), containing 7.5 g/L of sucrose, during 8 days of fermentation and 20 % of the inoculum, the maximum biohydrogen production yield was 4.62 LH2/L-med. Consortium C3 also showed the best production in hydrolyzed POME while consortium C6 achieved its maximum production in raw POME. This effluent is a potential substrate for biohydrogen production.