Simmi Goel and Cheryl Singla
Abstract
The excessive burning of fossil fuels causes environmental pollution by releasing carbon dioxide, which ultimately causes global warming. There is an urgent need for alternative sustainable fuels which give higher energy yields, are pollution-free and are renewable. The standard hydrogen production methods are the electrolysis of water and steam reformation of natural gas. However, the biological production of hydrogen proved to be safer and more renewable over thermochemical and electrochemical methods. The biological methods are a good alternative in which microorganisms play an essential role by consuming the carbon sources from the biomass resulting in the production of hydrogen in return. Biohydrogen is an alternative to fossil fuels, is clean, has high-energy content per unit of weight, and has zero greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen, an energy source derived from industrial and agricultural waste, can resolve sustainability issues, environmental carbon emissions, and energy security.