Engineering, 2012, 5, 50-52
doi:10.4236/eng.2012.410B013 Published Online October 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/eng)
Method of Power Generation after Hydrogen is Produced
with Piggery Wastewater
Matsunori Nara1, Xiaoyi Zhao2
1Department of System Engineering, Tokyo University of Science, Suwa (TUS), 5000-1 Toyohira, Chino, Nagano, Japan
2Cours e of E ngineering and Management, Gradu ate sch ool of Tok yo University of Science , Suwa, 5000-1 Toyohira, Chino, Na gano, Jap an
Received 2012
ABSTRACT
It is a technology that produces the hydrogen gases by using only the microorganism and sunlight from the wastewater to b e at a lo ss
because of processing. And, the produced hydrogen uses the fuel cell and is used to generate electricity. Because this technology
doesn't use the organic matter that becomes food, and use the organic matter included in waste, clean power generation is possible.
We researched the improvement of the hydrogen gas production efficiency. The purple non-sulfur photosynthesis bacillus was purely
cultured, the substrate dependency was clarified, and the best substrate dosage was decided. Moreover, it was shown that the light
wave length conversion net was effective for the hydrogen gas production efficiency improvement. On the other hand, a too strong
light intensity showed becoming the growth obstruction of phototropic bacteria. When the light intensity for the photosynthesis is
insufficient, the light wave length conversion net can support this. On the other hand, there was an effect of easing the trouble by
light when the light intensity was excessive. We were able to offer the design parameter to produce the hydrogen gases with the
wastewater efficiently.
Keywords: Wastewater Utilization; Hydrogen Gasproduction; Bio-mass Enrgy
1. Introduction
In this research, it is a purpose to develop the technology that
manufactures hydrogen from sunlight with an organic waste-
water and the photosynthetic microorganism. Because this
technology doesn't use the organic matter that becomes food,
and use the organ ic matter in cluded in waste, clean po wer gen-
eration is possible. The maximum problem in the hydrogen gas
production with the wastewater is that the energy production
efficiency is low. We researched the improvement of the hy-
drogen gas production efficiency.
2. Materials and Methods
We developed the method of improving the ratio of an effective
wavelength elements for the photosynthesis included in sun-
light to improve photosynthetic microorganism's hydrogen
production efficiency. That is, the material (wavelength con-
version polymer resin) that was able to convert the ultraviolet
rays of sunlight into the near-infrared radiation was made for
trial purposes. This material is a product that adds the fluores-
cent dye (made by the Lumogem F RED-300 BASF company)
to the polymer resin and molds it like the film. This is con-
verted the absorbed light into the wavelength of a red belt
(580-780 nm) that contributes to the photosynthesis, and fluo-
resces. The wavelength conversion material was molded like
the net. The photosynthetic microorganism that had used it by
the experiment was a mixed bacterial culture including Rho-
dopseudomonas Palustris. The ultraviolet rays lamp and sun-
light were used as a light energy source supplied to the photo-
synthesis.
The photosynthetic microorganism that had purely cultured it
experimented on the ultraviolet rays lamp as a source of light in
the indoor temperature controlled bath.
And, the photosynthetic microorganism that had done the
mixture culture did the experiment of which the source of light
was sunlight in outdoor. Figure 1 showed the photograph of the
pilot machine and the outline.
3. Results and Discussion
To culture photosynthetic microorganism (Rhodopseudomonas
Palustris) purely first of all to design the hydrogen [san;u] sys-
tem and to clarify an ecological characteristic, the [kainetei;
kkusu] was analyzed. Figure 2 is showing of the specific
growth rate of the photosynthetic microorganism in the pure
culture system to the administered substrate quantity. After-
wards, the amount of an increase was saturated though the ten-
dency that the number of microorganisms increases as the sub-
strate quantity increased was observed. The relation between
these shows the saturation curve, and it is understood that the
enzyme reactio n pro gresses. Then, to examine kinetic that hung
Figure 1. The photograph of the pilot machine and the outline.

M. NARA, X. Y. ZHAO
51
0
5
10
15
20
25
00.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Specific growth rate: v
Substrate;S (mg)
Figure 2. Relation between given subatrate and specific growthrate
of microbe.
to the hydrogen production by the photosynthetic microorgan-
ism, Nanes-Woolf was plotted. Figure 3 showed the result of
doing Hanes-Woolf Plot by thinking about the hydrogen pro-
duction as an enzyme reaction. It seemed that the correlation
coefficient of the regression line was about 0.66, and an appro-
priate approximation. Vmax was about 31 as a result of the
calculation and Km was 0.18. Figure 4 are showing of the
amounts of the hydrogen gas produced for the supplied sub-
strate quantity (conversion of the amount of the carbohydrate).
The volume of the reaction vessel was assumed to be 200ml.
The amounts of the hydrogen gas produced as the substrate
quan tity increases have in creased. Ho wever, the gas prod uction
was indicated the maximum value, and decreased gradually
around of the supply substrate amount ten grams after wards. It
has been understood that the optimum value exists in the sub-
strate quantity supplied from this to the photosynthetic micro-
organism. Moreover, the amount of the gas generated in the
source of artificial light was below the half of that of sunlight.
Figure 5 showed the relation between the number of colonies
of photosynthetic microorganisms that lived in the reaction
vessel and the produced amount of the hydrogen gas. The
amounts of the hydrogen gas produced as the microbial bio-
mass increases have increased. However, the amounts of the
gas produced with the hit for the number of fungus bodies to
exceed 300 million have decreased. The upper bound of the
microbial count in the actual experiment condition was pre-
sumed to be about 300 million pieces from the above-men-
tioned result. The substrate quantity administered in this case
was 6.7 grams every the reaction vessel 200ml. Moreover,
when the source of artificial light was used, the hydrogen pro-
duction was below the half in case of sunlight.
4. Conclusion
The experimental research into the improvement of the hydro-
gen production efficiency was done aiming to put the technol-
ogy that produced the hydrogen gases with an organic waste
fluid and the photosynthetic microorganism to practical use.
First of all, the purple non-sulfur photosynthesis bacillus was
purel y cultured , the su bstrat e dependency was cl arified , and the
y = 0.0321x + 0.0057
R² = 0.6563
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
00.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
S / v
Substrate;S(mg)
Figure 3. Hanes-Woolf plot in hydrogen production by photosyn-
thetic microorganism.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
05 10 15 20
Hydrogen gas produced(ml)
Carbonhydrate (gram)
Treatment
Control
samp le
400W
Figure 4. Relation between amount of given substrate and hydro-
gen gas production.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0200 400 600 800
Hydrogen gas produced(ml)
Microbe (cell*1E+8/ml）
Treatment
Control
sample
400W
Figure 5. Relation between microbial count in the vessel and pro-
duced amount of hydrogen gas.
best substrate dosage was decided. Moreover, it was shown that

M. NARA, X. Y. ZHAO
52
the light wave length conversion net was effective for the hy-
drogen gas production efficiency improvement. On the other
hand, a too strong light intensity showed becoming the growth
obstruction of phototropic bacteria. When the light intensity for
the photosynthesis is insufficient, the light wave length conver-
sion net can support this. On the other hand, there was an effect
of easing the trouble by light when the light intensity was ex-
cessive.
REFERENCES
[1] M.Nara: Research on improvement of hydrogen production
efficiency by photosynthetic microorganism (Society of Heating,
Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers, Ja pan 2010 )
[2] M.Nara, and H.Sugiura: Hydrogen gas production by anaerobic
microorganism (Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers lecture
collection 2009).
[3] H. Kitamura and others: Phototropic bacteria ( society publica-
tion center 2000)