Although the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction offers a direct route for CO2 valorization, its practical implementation remains challenged by catalyst specific stability at elevated temperatures (°C) and the widespread use of purified synthetic H2:CO2 feeds. In this work, photo fermentation biogas (H2:CO2) was directly employed as the feed for the RWGS reaction, while the associated solid residue was converted through single-step pyrolysis into a mineral (alkali & alkaline metal) containing biochar catalyst without external metal impregnation. Further, ICP-OES confirmed basic AAEMs K, Na, Ca, and Mg, together with Al, Si, and Fe containing species are dispersed within a nitrogen functionalized carbon framework, forming a cooperative mineral-carbon environment for selective CO production. Under the specific conditions (600 °C, atmospheric pressure, 18,000 mL gcat.−1h−1 and H2:CO2 = 1:1), fresh-FR-biochar achieved 24.56 % CO2 conversion with 99.08 % CO selectivity. Under photo fermentation derived biogas containing 44 vol% H2 and 56 vol% CO2, it delivered 16.78 % CO2 conversion and 96.35 % CO selectivity without prior separation of the major gas components. Acid demineralization substantially reduced the Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, and Fe contents and caused a marked decline in catalytic activity, supporting a cooperative contribution from the inherited mineral fraction, carbon defects, N/O functionalities, and mineral-carbon interfaces. During 100 h of stability test, fresh-FR-biochar retained 66.8 % and 71.5 % of its initial CO2 conversion under the pure H2/CO2 and photo fermentation biogas feeds, respectively, while maintaining high CO selectivity. After three regeneration cycles, the fresh-FR-biochar retained 89.4 % and 88.4 % of its first-cycle conversion under the corresponding feeds. This integrated gas and solid valorization strategy establishes a residue to catalyst pathway for selective CO2 to CO conversion toward synthetic fuel feedstocks.

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (e-NO3RR) offers a promising strategy for converting NO3 --N contaminants into NH3. Cu-based catalysts have leading advantages in e-NO3RR, however, they are hindered by weak NO2 - adsorption, inefficient intermediates utilization, and sluggish kinetics of subsequent hydrogenation, particularly at low-concentration NO3 -. Herein, the metastable CoO/Co-Cu2O/Cu heterointerface is in situ dynamically reconstructed from the initial Co-Cu2O lotus-root-shaped nanorods to facilitate cascade e-NO3RR for NH3 production, achieving an NH3 yield rate of 9.35 mg h-1 cm-2 and a Faradaic efficiency of 94.3% at -0.7 V vs. RHE under environmentally relevant NO3 - levels. Operando spectroscopic techniques and theoretical calculations elucidate a synergistic effect between the in situ reconstructed transient Cu2O/Cu and CoO/Co active sites. Specifically, the dynamically evolved Cu2O/Cu moieties facilitate the adsorption and conversion of *NO3 - to *NO2 -, while the in situ formed CoO/Co species modulate the *NO2 adsorption energy and the electronic structure of dynamic Cu2O/Cu, thereby enhancing active hydrogen generation for nitrogenous intermediates hydrogenation. Using a hydrophobic membrane-mediated acid adsorption process, high-purity solid (NH4)2SO4 was successfully acquired from the e-NO3RR effluent of actual NO3 --containing wastewater. Our findings provide a foundation for the rational design of high-efficiency NO3 --to-NH3 conversion electrocatalysts through interface engineering approaches and establish a dynamic structure-activity relationship research paradigm.

Silage corn (Zea mays L.) is increasingly recognized as a raw material for second-generation production of bioethanol. Growth cycle characteristics, yield, and quality of two varieties of maize grown in double-cropped systems at different planting densities, below mulching film or directly into the ground, are reported for Hebei Province from 2022 to 2024. Significant seasonal differences in the reproductive process occurred: for season one (112–126 days), the reproductive period exceeded that of season two (96–106 days), with plastic film mulching advancing the onset of the emergence stage by 5–7 days. Total fresh matter yield showed a density-dependent quadratic response, was significantly higher in season one than in season two (with an average increase of 28.7%), and differences were significant between years. Compared with double-cropped, direct-sown maize, double-cropped maize using mulching film significantly increased the annual maize grain yield from 13.3% (Jiyu757) to 25.7% (Heng9). The starch content in season two (30.8%) was higher than in season one (28.5%), and correlated significantly, linearly, and positively with grain yield. Planting density correlated negatively with grain yield and crude protein content, and fresh matter weight correlated negatively with starch and crude protein contents. This suggests a quality dilution effect in biomass accumulation. Analysis of the growth cycle allocation and yield–quality balance revealed that early sown, double-cropped, high-starch varieties grown using mulching film improved biomass and quality of bioethanol raw materials. These results provide a foundation to promote the coordinated and sustainable development of agriculture, energy, and ecology.

The co-production technology of aroma extraction, photo-fermentation biohydrogen production (PFHP) and biogas can greatly enhance energy conversion efficiency of tobacco waste. This study was carried out to detect the aroma components, the liquid-phase and gas-phase properties of the co-production of biohydrogen and biogas. Meanwhile, the kinetic characteristics of both PFHP and biogas production were analyzed using the Gompertz equation. At a substrate concentration of 27.04 g VS/L (35 g/L), the hydrogen yield and methane yield obtained in the experiment were 189 mL H2/g VS (146.13 mL/g) and 260 mL CH4/g VS (200.94 mL/g), respectively. The maximum light conversion efficiency of PFHP was 52.01 %. The findings can not only reduce the harm of tobacco waste to the environment but also establish a biorefining protocol for high-value resource recovery.

To overcome energy and environmental issues, a transition towards sustainable energy production is necessary, and photo fermentation hydrogen production (PFHP) is a promising route. Incorporating catalysts is an effective method for enhancing green hydrogen production in the (PFHP) process. In the present study, a modified sol-gel method was adopted for the fabrication of a highly efficient Agro-derived Nano-MnFeO3-SG catalyst. As a result, SEM-EDX, XRD, XPS, and FTIR techniques confirmed a perovskite cubic structure enriched with Mn, Fe, and OVs, which are crucial for achieving higher catalytic efficiency and improving PFHP. Subsequently, it was incorporated into the PFHP process to maximize the inadequate substrate conversion (SC) and low light energy utilization (LEU). At the optimal concentration of 200 mg/L, the Agro-derived Nano-MnFeO3-SG catalyst obtained the highest green hydrogen production of 321.62 mL (69.62 mL/g TS), with a light conversion efficiency (LCE) of 18.29 % and an energy conversion rate (ECR) of 5.6 %, representing significant enhancements of 100.68 %, 107 %, and 49.82 %, respectively, as compared to the control group. Moreover, green hydrogen productivity increased by 46.3 % compared to the control group; nevertheless, the lag phase was decreased by 12 h, thereby facilitating metabolic pathways and promoting butyric acid synthesis, which collectively increased the green hydrogen yield. The environmentally friendly catalyst preparation method and hydrogen production path based on biochemical transformation realize the preparation of green hydrogen, which will provide more powerful support for the green hydrogen industry.

The combined treatment of soy protein with cold isostatic pressure and protease was proposed for the first time to disrupt the structure of soy protein and optimize the fermentation of erythromycin in this study. After process optimization, the erythromycin fermentation reached 5093.26 mu g/mL, representing an approximate 9% increase compared with the pre-optimization level. Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory assays demonstrated that the fermentation products treated with the combined combination of protease and cold isostatic pressure exhibited superior antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. Compared with the blank control group, the samples from the combined treatment group showed enhanced abilities in disrupting bacterial cell walls and inhibiting the expression of TNF-alpha and IL-8. In conclusion, the combined treatment of protease and cold isostatic pressure can disrupt the structure of soy protein, thereby increasing erythromycin production. This study provided a new method for the value-added utilization of industrial by-product soy protein and the green fermentation of erythromycin.

Achieving stable and efficient high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) under high total solids (TS) and organic loadings remains a significant challenge for maximizing energy recovery from organic waste. Despite extensive research on operational performance and microbial dynamics, little attention has been paid to the behavior of HSAD under near-limit operating conditions, leaving room for optimization to enhance sustainable and resilient energy self-sufficiency. Hence, HSAD of energy crop and cattle manure was conducted in batch mode with increasing TS levels (10 %similar to 20 %) and substrate-to-inoculum (S/I) ratios (15-20) approaching the operational near limit, with a focus on kinetic response, microbial interactions, and functional traits. Results showed that volatile fatty acids accumulation increased with higher TS levels and S/I ratios, leading to decreased methane yields, slower kinetics, and severe process instability. The recommended operating window is TS= 10-15 % with an S/I ratio of 15-20, in which TS= 10 % and S/I= 20 maximize methane yield, while TS= 15 % and S/I= 20 remain acceptable for maximizing feedstock input with sufficient process stability. Furthermore, higher TS and S/I reduced microbial network diversity and redundancy, weakened syntrophic associations, and sharply decreased the relative abundance of key syntrophic bacteria and methanogens, resulting in complete system failure under near-limit stress conditions. The methanogenic community shifted from the high-energy-demand acs pathway toward the more energy-efficient ackA-pta pathway alleviated acetate accumulation and contributed to maintaining process stability at the expense of reduced operational efficiency. These findings provide insights into the thresholds of microbial resilience and reveal microbial adaptive strategies that enable acceptable functional preservation under near-limit stress conditions.

Integrating water contaminant control with hydrogen (H2) generation in photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) system offers a promising strategy for sustainable wastewater treatment. However, conventional two-dimensional (2D) PEC systems are often limited by insufficient interfacial active sites and poor mass transfer. Herein, a 3D PEC system was constructed using 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid-modified mixed-valence iron oxides (FeOx) supported on activated γ-Al2O3 (FeOx-BDC@Al2O3) particle electrodes to enable dynamic adsorption-PEC oxidation coupling for efficient oxytetracycline (OTC) removal and concurrent H2 generation. Compared with the conventional 2D system, the 3D PEC system achieves 93.2% OTC removal within 2 h. Meanwhile, the H2 production rate reaches 33.6 μmol cm-2∙h-1, which is 2.26 times that of the 2D system. The enhanced performance is attributed to the adsorption enrichment of OTC on FeOx-BDC@Al2O3/electrolyte interface, the improved light-harvesting ability of FeOx-BDC@Al2O3 particles, the accelerated Fe3+/Fe2+ redox cycling, the PEC synergistic generation of reactive species, and the uninterrupted concentration gradient of OTC between the bulk solution and the FeOx-BDC@Al2O3 particle surface, which establishes a continuous dynamic adsorption-PEC oxidation coupling system for efficient OTC abatement and detoxification. This work provides an effective strategy for integrating pollutant enrichment, sustained oxidation, and H2 generation in a 3D PEC system for antibiotic-contaminated water treatment.

Petroleum-based hydrogels dominate agriculture and environmental remediation, but their fossil dependence and environmental persistence raise sustainability concerns. Lignin, comprising approximately 15-30% of lignocellulosic biomass with global production exceeding 50 million tons annually, remains largely underutilized with over 95% burned as low-value fuel. This review examines lignin-incorporated hydrogels from an engineering and agricultural implementation perspective, focusing on translating molecular design into scalable manufacturing and field deployment. Common synthesis approaches include physical self-assembly, enzymatic crosslinking, chemical grafting, and additive manufacturing. Lignin incorporation enhances mechanical strength and introduces functional capabilities for controlled-release fertilizers, soil conditioning, water retention, and pollutant remediation. Unlike previous reviews emphasizing synthesis methods, we critically analyze lignin-polymer interfacial interactions, network topology control, and process robustness from agricultural implementation standpoints to clarify the distinctive engineering challenges and opportunities. Emerging advances including AI-driven formulation optimization, microfluidic synthesis platforms, and real-time process monitoring are integrated with emphasis on their relevance to scalable production. Key barriers include lignin heterogeneity causing property variations, limited solubility, and challenges. This review emphasizes practical solutions including controlled chemical modification, hybrid material design, standardized production routes, and circular biorefinery integration, thereby establishing an engineering-oriented framework to advance lignin-based hydrogels toward sustainable agricultural and environmental applications.

Relying on their highly efficient photosynthetic capacity, microalgae can achieve the efficient conversion of pollutants in wastewater into high-value-added products. However, during the treatment of photofermentation biohydrogen production effluents (PFEs), their high organic load, high chroma and extreme pH values significantly inhibit the pollutant conversion efficiency of microalgae. Hence, this study investigated the cultivation mechanism of Chlorella pyrenoidosa based on in-situ PFEs, and evaluated the pollutant removal capacity and the output of high-value-added products. The results showed that the optimal tolerant concentration of Chlorella pyrenoidosa to PFEs was approximately 40 %. The inhibitory effect of PFEs on the growth of Chlorella pyrenoidosa was mitigated by optimizing light intensity and initial pH value. The maximum biomass yield of 1480.94 +/- 5.13 mg/L was achieved under the conditions of 7000 lux light intensity and initial pH= 8. The removal rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in PFEs reached 74.30 %, which exceeded the 60 % removal criterion for municipal wastewater treatment plants. The removal efficiencies of typical pollutants including TN, NH4+ -N and PO4 3--P were 79.75 %, 90.06 % and 77.51 %, respectively. In terms of the output of high-value-added products, the maximum protein content reached 60.35 %, with the highest protein yield of 887.62 +/- 15.11 mg/L, which was increased by 235.72 % compared with the group cultured in the traditional BG-11 medium. Compared with the single photofermentation biohydrogen production process, the integrated process of co-producing biohydrogen and microalgae from corn stover improved the overall carbon conversion efficiency by 56.59 %.

The utilization of agroforestry waste is a pressing issue of public interest. Biohydrogen production offers a promising route for converting agroforestry waste into clean hydrogen energy. In this study, the hydrogenproducing performance of autonomously enriched light-independent hydrogen-producing bacteria (LIHPB)was evaluated using corn stalk as substrate. The hydrogen yields of light-independent and photo-fermentation bacteria were comparatively analyzed under different light conditions to identify optimized conditions for efficient biohydrogen production. In different culture batches, the maximum hydrogen yield of LIHPB under dark conditions reached 97 mL/g, with an energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of 7.16 %. LIHPB performed optimally in the absence of light, producing higher hydrogen yields (82 +/- 1.2 mL/g) and ECE (6.08 %) compared with those cultured under light-illuminated conditions (79 +/- 0.8 mL/g and 5.86 %, respectively). During fermentation, the microbial community composition shifted from being dominated by substrate-degrading genera (Macellibacteroides, Proteiniphilum) to hydrogen-producing genera (Clostridium). These findings provide a basis for developing dark-fermentation biohydrogen production technologies using agricultural and forestry waste. The study also provides a reference for the resource utilization of agricultural waste.

The high-efficient utilization technology of organic waste can alleviate the dual pressures of energy and the environment. The study investigated the effects of substrate ratio, substrate concentration, and temperature on biohydrogen yield, and further optimized the process conditions for co-digestion of food waste and fecal sludge as substrates for biological hydrogen production. The results of batch mode experiments show that when the ratio of food waste to fecal sludge is 5:1, substrate concentration is 60 g/L, and fermentation temperature is 40 degrees C, the system achieves maximum cumulative hydrogen production of 183 mL (equivalent to 32 mL/g VS). The response surface methodology (RSM) indicates that substrate ratio, substrate concentration, and temperature all exert remarkably significant effects on hydrogen yield (p < 0.01). In addition, the synergistic interaction between substrate ratio and temperature significantly influences hydrogen production performance (p < 0.05). This study elucidates the synergistic mechanism of key process factors in the co-digestion of food waste and fecal sludge for biohydrogen production. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the engineering application of organic waste to hydrogen technologies.

Pyrite-driven autotrophic denitrification (PAD) is a promising low-carbon advanced treatment process for polishing secondary effluents discharged from municipal wastewater treatment plants. However, its broader application is constrained by uncertainties in denitrification performance, that performance is highly dependent on the mineralogical properties of pyrite and the associated microbial-mineral interactions. In this study, natural pyrites (YF-P, TL-P, HB-P) collected from three representative mining regions in China were systematically evaluated using a multi-scale screening framework. The results demonstrated that reduced-S content (>= 45.69%) and specific surface area (>= 14.584 m2 g- 1) are key mineralogical properties governing microbial-mineral synergistic denitrification performance. Based on this screening, Yunfu pyrite (YF-P) was selected as the electron donor-packing medium to construct the PAD biofilter. During 180 days of stable operation,while treating simulated secondary effluent, the YF-PAD achieved efficient N and P removal at an HRT of 1 h while maintaining low sulfate concentration (39.23 mg L- 1); the effluent complied with the Class A limits of DB11/890-2012, demonstrating the long-term robustness of the autotrophic denitrification driven by the selected YF-P. This stable performance was underpinned by a microbe-mineral synergistic S-N-Fe coupled co-metabolic network. Acting as the solid-phase electron donor, pyrite facilitated electron transfer through the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox cycle, which functioned as an electron-shuttling bridge linking bidirectional sulfur cycling with nitrate reduction pathways, including denitrification and related nitrate reduction pathways. Overall, this study provides mechanistic and practical insights to facilitate the broader application of PAD.

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of pollutants and simultaneous production of clean energy is a feasible strategy to alleviate environmental deterioration and energy shortage. Effective regulation and optimization of Fermi level, band bending and carrier transport route are crucial to design efficient photoelectrodes. Herein, an oxygen vacancies (OVs)-rich blue-black TiO2 nanotube arrays with spatially constrained Ag3PO4 (Ag3PO4/ BTNAs) was constructed for PEC degradation of berberine and simultaneous H2 production. OVs establish impurity energy levels and induce localized polarized electric fields (LPEF) on BTNAs surfaces, thereby facilitating interfacial electronic structures modulation and energy bands alignment, which ultimately creates an S-scheme heterojunction at Ag3PO4/BTNAs interface. The synergistic effect between OVs-induced LPEF and built-in electric field of S-scheme heterojunction suppresses the recombination of carriers and facilitates the formation of h+, 1O2 and HO center dot reactive species. The optimized dual-functional Ag3PO4/BTNAs heterojunction achieves 94.3% degradation of berberine at an environmentally relevant levels with a kobs value of ca. 0.016 min-1, and a H2 yield rate of ca. 53.0 mu mol cm-2 h-1. Additionally, it exhibits good stability and versatile adaptability towards diverse real water matrices and the actual berberine-containing aquaculture tailwater. This study provides valuable insights for developing S-scheme heterojunction capable of water pollution remediation and synchronous clean energy production.

The direct ammonia oxidation (Dirammox) pathway has emerged as a promising alternative nitrogen removal pathway. However, the feasibility and potential benefits of integrating algae into Dirammox-based wastewater treatment systems remain largely unexplored. In this study, two granular sludge systems inoculated with single Dirammox bacteria (R1) and algae-Dirammox bacteria (R2) were established to evaluate the feasibility of applying Dirammox-inoculated granular sludge to municipal wastewater treatment and to investigate whether algal addition could serve as a potential intensification strategy. The results concluded that algae addition can benefit for extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production and improved granulation performance. The average total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies in R1 were 59.41% ± 7.84% and 44.35% ± 16.36%, respectively, whereas higher removal efficiencies were achieved in R2 (74.46% ± 11.09% and 94.35% ± 5.87%). Microbial community analysis revealed that algal addition reshaped the microbial community structure and enriched EPS-producing bacteria and phosphorus-accumulating organisms. High abundances of Alcaligenes (1.35–3.77%) and dnfA (1.71 ×10⁸-5.26 ×10⁸ copies/g MLVSS), together with the undetectable abundance of amoA, suggested the potential involvement of the Dirammox pathway in both reactors. Functional gene analysis further showed that genes associated with nitrogen assimilation, phosphorus uptake, carbon metabolism, and aerobic respiration were more abundant in R2, indicating enhanced metabolic potential for nutrient removal. This study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating algae with Dirammox-inoculated granular sludge systems and provides insights into the development of algae-Dirammox wastewater treatment technologies.

This study provides a new method for optimizing the fermentation process of soybean meal: using enzyme-assisted cold isostatic pressing treatment of soybean meal to improve its utilization efficiency as a slow-release nitrogen source. The results showed that under the optimal treatment conditions, the fermentation yield of streptomycin reached 1306.13 ± 9.544 mg/L, with a deviation of only 1.85 % from the theoretical prediction value. Qualitative and quantitative analysis showed that the streptomycin production in the experimental group treated with synergistic treatment was 1306.13 ± 9.544 mg/L, clearly higher than that in the untreated group (0.1464 mg/L). In the antibacterial experiment, when the concentration of fermentation product was 10 μg/mL, the bacterial growth inhibition rate was 6.3 ± 0.96 %, clearly higher than the blank control group. In summary, enzyme-assisted cold isostatic pressing technology provides a new approach for optimizing soybean meal fermentation and is a promising strategy.

Review A Novel Concept: Utilizing Curtailed Wind and Solar Power for Straw Crushing to Achieve Biomass Energy Storage Xiying Zhou 1, Bing Hu 1, Huan Zhang 1, Yuguang Zhou 2, Hongqiong Zhang 3, Quanguo Zhang 4, and Zhiping Zhang 1,* 1 Henan International Joint Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Nanomaterials, Henan Agricultural University, No. 63 Wenhua Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China 2 College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, No. 17 Qinghua Donglu, Beijing 100083, China 3 College of Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, No. 600 Changjiang Street, Xiangfang District, Harbin 150030, China 4 Modern Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Huanghe S&T University, No.666 Zijingshan South Road, Zhengzhou 450044, China * Correspondence: zhangzhiping715@163.com Received: 30 October 2024; Revised: 20 March 2025; Accepted: 21 March 2025; Published: 2 April 2025 Abstract: With various countries setting strategic goals for peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, the global demand for clean energy is showing an increasing trend. On the one hand, wind and solar energy, as the two main pillars of renewable energy, are widely promoted due to their clean and low-carbon environmental benefits. However, the intermittency and instability of these two types of energy have become the primary causes of challenges in new energy consumption and grid integration. On the other hand, a large amount of agricultural waste is produced globally each year, and biomass energy has huge potential. However, in our country, agricultural waste cannot be effectively utilized, one of the important reasons is that the transportation of raw materials is difficult, and some power plants opt to pulverize straw before transporting it, but the straw crushing consumes a lot of energy. This article proposes an innovative model: The straw-crushing plant is combined with the wind power station, and the straw is crushed by abandoning wind and light. This collaborative energy storage mode will effectively alleviate the dual problems of new energy consumption and agricultural waste management. This article, through the analysis of relevant data research indicates that provinces represented by Henan, Hebei, and Shandong not only boast abundant straw resources but also lead in total installed wind and solar power capacity. Rough estimates reveal that Henan Province wastes 1.2 billion kWh of wind and solar power annually, while Hebei Province discards 4 billion kWh yearly. This curtailed wind-solar-straw energy storage system can increase renewable energy utilization efficiency by 3–4%. Compared to traditional grid-based crushing methods, it reduces energy costs for straw pretreatment by 30–40% and achieves a 15–20% reduction in carbon emissions over its full lifecycle. This system offers an innovative approach to integrating renewable energy integration with agricultural circular economy development. It holds a certain guiding significance for the field of new energy consumption and storage.

Photo-fermentative biohydrogen production (PFHP) with lignocellulosic biomass helps for the reduction of carbon release. The correlation between ethanol addition with cell growth, biohydrogen production, and soluble by-products production was investigated to reveal the role that ethanol plays. For the purpose, box plot analysis and correspondence analysis were respectively adopted to evaluate the correlation between ethanol loadings and cell biomass and biohydrogen production during the processes of cell growth and PFHP. During the cell growth process, ethanol addition up to 2.0 % would play a negative role in cell growth while lower ethanol loadings (0.5 % and 1.0 %) did not have significant effluence on cell growth. Additionally, during the PFHP process, 1.0 % ethanol addition achieved the maximum hydrogen yield (HY) of 83.3 mL/g TS, which was 10.8 % higher than that of no ethanol. Furthermore, correspondence analysis (CA) revealed that 1.0 % ethanol addition had the closest positive relationship with hydrogen yield and hydrogen production rate (HPR), while 4.0 % ethanol reversed the relationship. The results demonstrated efficiency of proper ethanol addition (1.0 % in this study) as an effective hydrogen yield enhancement method.