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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology pp 1–21Cite as

Hydrogen from Biomass

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Definition of the Subject and Its Importance

Today, there is no disputing that the use of renewable energy has to be increased in order to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emission as well as the dependence on the fossil fuels. Approximately 95 % of the hydrogen produced today comes from carbonaceous raw material, but primarily with a fossil resource as original energy source. Only a fraction of this hydrogen is currently used for energy purposes; the bulk serves as feedstock for manifold purposes, e.g., in the petrochemical industry as well as for food, electronics, and metallurgical processing. However, the share of hydrogen in the energy market is increasing, and hydrogen production will need to keep pace with this growing market [1]. In this sense, this entry summarizes the state of the art of the most important processes, techniques, and research activities in the field of hydrogen production using biomass resources.

Introduction

Hydrogen (H2) is a secondary energy carrier that has to be...

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Abbreviations

Biohydrogen:

Hydrogen derived from biomass.

Biological biohydrogen generation:

Production of hydrogen based on a biological (i.e., biochemical) conversion of biomass.

Biomass:

From a scientific and technical point of view, biomass is defined as material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and/or transformed to fossil.

Thermochemical biohydrogen generation:

Production of hydrogen based on a heat-induced (i.e., thermochemical) conversion of biomass.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deutsches BiomasseForschungsZentrum GmbH German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ), Torgauer Straße 116, 04347, Leipzig, Germany

    Ralf Schmersahl & Marco Klemm

  2. Department of Urban Water and Waste Management, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 15, 45141, Essen, Germany

    Ruth Brunstermann & Renatus Widmann

Authors
  1. Ralf Schmersahl
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  2. Marco Klemm
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  3. Ruth Brunstermann
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  4. Renatus Widmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ralf Schmersahl .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ramtech Ltd., Larkspur, California, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Schmersahl, R., Klemm, M., Brunstermann, R., Widmann, R. (2014). Hydrogen from Biomass. In: Meyers, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_318-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_318-3

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