Biochemical and Thermochemical Routes of H2 Production from Food Waste: A Comparative Review

Hydrogen production from food waste by biochemical and thermochemical methods is reviewed herein. Generally, fermentation, a biochemical method, is considered to be more suitable for hydrogen production from food waste, and the performance of fermentation units depends on many factors, e.g., substrate composition, type of pretreatment, reactor configuration, and operating parameters, e.g., organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time, pH, and temperature. Controlling so many factors is tedious, expensive, and results in a slow process. On the other hand, thermochemical methods involve fewer factors and steps, can be much faster and less costly, and can also be used for efficient hydrogen production from food waste. Steam gasification has produced good hydrogen yields from raw food waste.