Hydrogen production depends on the optimum bed height in fixed-film reactors

We assessed the performance of four AnSTBRs operated with progressively reduced bed heights, where each condition represented a systematic reduction based on the bed height of previously investigated AnSTBRs. The bed heights compared in this study varied from a full bed to its complete absence. The systems were monitored to evaluate how different bed heights impacted bioH2 evolution, fresh substrate conversion, and the spatiotemporal production and consumption of key metabolites involved in dark fermentation, while maintaining equivalent operational conditions in the feeding chamber.