Sustainable electricity generation in rural areas using biohydrogen-fed PEM fuel cells

Abstract

Hydrogen energy, recognized as a promising clean fuel for the future, can be produced from renewable energy sources, making it both environmentally friendly and sustainable. Furthermore, hydrogen can be generated during wastewater treatment, offering the dual advantage of reducing water pollution while producing a fuel that can be converted into electricity. In this study, hydrogen was produced through anaerobic digestion of domestic wastewater utilizing the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. Hydrogen gas accumulated at the top of a 3.6-liter reactor during the process. Concurrently, the organic matter content in the wastewater decreased by 67.7 %, while turbidity was reduced by 73.6 %. A polymer membrane increased the purity of hydrogen gas from 58 % during the acidogenic phase to 96 %. Approximately 87.5 W of electricity was produced using purified biohydrogen, and 97.3 W was produced using hydrogen produced by the E150 electrolyzer via the H-100 PEM fuel cell. The rheostat was connected to the PEM fuel cell, and the polarization and power curves were derived from currentvoltage data. This experimental curve was compared with the theoretical curve from a PEM fuel cell model created in Matlab/Simulink.