Nanotechnology approaches for Enhancement in Biohydrogen Production

The rapid surge of renewable energy sources has been influenced by the high rate of energy consumption and the low sustainability of traditional energy sources. Being an excellent energy source, hydrogen does not leave any negative carbon footprint as it only produces water during the combustion process. It is carbon neutral which can be produced from a variety of waste feed stocks or biomass, making it the most efficient and environmentally friendly form of energy amid all biofuels. To meet the future hydrogen demand, biological processes like bacterial fermentation, are considered to be environmentally favourable option. Since biomass is abundant, cheap, and biodegradable it is considered profitable for biohydrogen production. Though photo-biological and dark fermentation methods are regarded as successful in generating biohydrogen, their lower yields pose significant challenges for its commercial production. Studies are being conducted to improve efficiency, and here is where nanomaterials come into play by influencing biological processes at the cellular level. They can act as catalysts speeding up the reactions that create hydrogen and making the process more sustainable. Owing to their distinct properties such as stability, crystalline nature, high ratio of surface to volume, adsorption ability, and increased electroconductivity significantly enhance hydrogen generation. In this paper, the applications of nanomaterials such as metals, metal alloys, metal oxides, nanocomposites, and inorganic nanoparticles to improve biohydrogen production have been studied.