# Enhancing the Production of H2 and Volatile Fatty Acids by Fungal Pretreatment of Invasive Macroalgae () Followed by Dark Fermentation

## TL;DR

This study shows that fungal pretreatment of invasive algae can boost hydrogen and fatty acid production through dark fermentation.

## Contribution

The novel approach combines fungal pretreatment with dark fermentation to optimize biofuel and biochemical production from invasive macroalgae.

## Key findings

- The highest H2 yield was 9.49 mLH2/gbiomass after 8 days of pretreatment with 107 cel/gbiomass.
- The greatest TVFA production was 213 mg of acetic acid equivalents/gbiomass after 5 days using 108 cel/gbiomass.
- Fungal pretreatment improves dark fermentation performance for biofuel and biochemical production.

## Abstract

The blue economy
promotes the sustainable use of marine
resources,
such as algae, for socioeconomic development. This study aims to increase
the production of hydrogen (H2) and volatile fatty acids
(VFA) through the dark fermentation of the invasive macroalga . Batch experiments were conducted
to identify the optimal operating conditions, with the following parameters
being varied: inoculum-substrate ratio (IS) (0.43, 0.25, and 0.11
v/v); initial pH (5.5, 6.5, and 7.5); and algal suspension concentration
(4, 6, 8, and 10% w/v). Additionally, the impact of biological pretreatment
using was assessed.
This was performed via solid-state fermentation (SSF) at two fungal
inoculum concentrations (107 and 108 cel/gbiomass) and two incubation times (5 and 8 days). The highest
H2 yield (9.49 mLH2
/gbiomass) was obtained after 8 days of pretreatment with 107 cel/gbiomass, whereas the greatest TVFA production (213 mg of acetic
acid equivalents/gbiomass) occurred after 5 days using
108 cel/gbiomass. These results suggest that
biological pretreatment can enhance the performance of dark fermentation
and that the latter condition is most suitable for VFA-oriented biorefineries.