Effects of iron nanoparticles and electro-stimulation on biohydrogen production by Clostridium pasteurianum.

Authors

Danielli Azevedo Monico, Guilherme Bueno Bresciani, Adalgisa Rodrigues de Andrade, Valeria Reginatto

Published in

Applied microbiology and biotechnology. Jul 15, 2026. Epub Jul 15, 2026.

Abstract

Biological hydrogen (H₂) production is a promising alternative to fossil-based energy processes, and strategies capable of improving H₂ yields are required to enhance its industrial feasibility. In this study, iron nanoparticles supported on carbon black (Fe/CB) were evaluated, for the first time, alone and in combination with electro-stimulated fermentation (EF), to enhance H₂ production by Clostridium pasteurianum DSMZ 525. Suspended Fe/CB and Fe/CB immobilized on the anode were employed and compared with traditional fermentation (TF) and EF. Under TF conditions, suspended and immobilized Fe/CB increased H₂ production by 16.7% and 62.5%, respectively, while increasing organic acid concentrations by 3.6- and 4.7-fold. The highest H₂ concentration (129.82 mmol L⁻¹) and H₂ yield were achieved under EF (0.4 V) without Fe/CB. Under this condition, organic acid and cell biomass concentrations decreased by 83% and twofold, respectively. In contrast, the addition of suspended or immobilized Fe/CB during EF decreased H₂ production by 29% and 24%, respectively, while substantially increasing organic acid concentrations. Overall, Fe/CB enhanced H₂ production during TF, particularly when immobilized on the anode, whereas EF alone proved to be the most effective strategy for maximizing H₂ production. These findings demonstrate that electro-stimulation can redirect microbial metabolism toward H₂ evolution, while Fe/CB supplementation may be more suitable for promoting the formation of value-added fermentation products. The results provide new insights into the combined use of conductive materials and electro-fermentation for controlling product selectivity in Clostridium-based bioprocesses. KEY POINTS: Suspended iron nanoparticles increase hydrogen production by 16.7% in fermentation.While immobilized iron nanoparticles increase hydrogen production by 62.5%.Electro-stimulation yields more hydrogen than iron-assisted electro-stimulation.

PMID:
42455300
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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