Converting low value biomass into hydrogen

加拿大(和全球)人口的持续增长似乎不成比例地增加了对国家自然资源的需求，并最终导致开发更多的废物副产品。由于我国对《京都议定书》的承诺，重新利用生物质来产生可再生能源对加拿大政府、研究部门、工业界和公众至关重要。拟议的研究将调查从农业残渣和有机城市垃圾中生产的原料化学品转化为氢气和其他碳副产品的情况。氢气是一种宝贵的能源，也是一种潜在的交通燃料。在电化学辅助的生物反应器中，碳副产物可以转化为H2和CO2。注后者超出了拟议研究工作的范围。二氧化碳可以被捕获用于温室，以促进植物生长，或者被藻类用来生产用于生产生物柴油的长链脂肪酸(LCFA)。在提议的工艺的第一部分，生物质经过热处理以释放有价值的糖，在第二过程中，这些糖被发酵以产生氢和碳的副产品。

The continued growth of the Canadian (and global) population seems to disproportionately increase the demands on the nation's natural resources and ultimately results in the development greater quantities of waste byproducts. The reuse of biomass to generate a renewable energy source is of critical importance to the Canadian government, research sectors, inudstries, and the public because of our nation's commitment to Kyoto Protocol. The proposed research will investigate the conversion of feedstock chemical produced from agriculture residues and organic municipal waste to H2 and other carbon byproducts. Hydrogen is a valuable energy source and a potential transportation fuel. The carbon byproducts could be converted into H2 and CO2 in an electrochemically assisted bioreactor. Note the latter is beyond the scope of the proposed research work. Carbon dioxide can be captured for used in green-houses to enhance plant growth or alternatively used by algae to produce long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) for biodiesel production. In the 1st part of the proposed process, biomass is thermal treated to release valuable sugars and in a 2nd process, these sugars are fermented to produce H2 and carbon byproducts.