Development of a unique integrated bioreactor for simultaneous desalination and bioenergy and biohydrogen production

In the wastewater treatment challenge, it is really essential to develop integrated systems in reducing greenhouse gases, producing green energy and achieving sustainable development. In this regard, an integrated electro-biomembrane reactor was developed and performed in this study for simultaneous biohydrogen (bioH2) production from energetic poplar leaves using dark fermentation (DF) process, conventional H2 production, bioenergy production in the DF process, and saline water desalination in a single system. The results of this study showed that pH was the main controlling parameter in bioH2 production, and the superior production of 40.2 mL/g-biomass was obtained at a pH of 5.5. The maximum current and power density values were 2861.7 mW/m2 and 2819.4 mA/m2 at pH 5.5 under improved conditions. Furthermore, the maximum conventional H2 production was found to be 1341.6 mL using 2 M of KOH solution. Overall, the results further proved that the proposed integrated system can be a sustainable and promising process for industrial applications, considering its high desalination, energy production, and conventional and biological H2 production efficiencies. © 2024 The Authors