Surfactant-mediated sonic hydrolysis of marine macroalgae Ulva fasciata for biohydrogen production

This study investigates the potential utility of Ulva fasciata biomass for biohydrogen production and its disintegration under ultrasonic disintegration (UD), and ultrasonic combined surfactant disintegration (UCSD). SCOD release and specific energy consumption were evaluated for UD and UCSD. In UCSD, optimal surfactant addition was 10 ml, 160 W sonication power, and 30-min sonication time resulted in a maximum release of SCOD of 1030 mg/L and a maximum solubilization of 21.2% to compare the performance of UD and UCSD, biopolymer release was analyzed. The maximum protein and carbohydrate release was 680 mg/L and 224.2 mg/L the disintegrated substrate was evaluated for its biohydrogen production under anaerobic conditions with both UD and UCSD. As compared to UD (90.4 mL), and control (17.3 mL), UCSD (121.6 mL) produced more biohydrogen. According to its energy analysis, UCSD had a positive net energy of 0.012 kW h/kg and an energy ratio of 1.375. This study also reveals that macroalgae U. fasciata could be a sustainable renewable energy source for biohydrogen production.(c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.