Hydrolysates of lignocellulosic materials for biohydrogen production

Lignocellulosic materials are commonly used in bio-H₂ production for the sustainable energy resource development as they are abundant, cheap, renewable and highly biodegradable. In the process of the bio-H₂ production, the pretreated lignocellulosic materials are firstly converted to monosaccharides by enzymolysis and then to H₂ by fermentation. Since the structures of lignocellulosic materials are rather complex, the hydrolysates vary with the used materials. Even using the same lignocellulosic materials, the hydrolysates also change with different pretreatment methods. It has been shown that the appropriate hydrolysate compositions can dramatically improve the biological activities and bio-H₂ production performances. Over the past decades, hydrolysis with respect to different lignocellulosic materials and pretreatments has been widely investigated. Besides, effects of the hydrolysates on the biohydrogen yields have also been examined. In this review, recent studies on hydrolysis as well as their effects on the biohydrogen production performance are summarized. [BMB Reports 2013; 46(5): 244-251]