Valorization of rice husk for electricity production by enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fuel cell

This work described a combined bioprocess of enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fuel cell (MFC) for electricity production from rice husk (RH). It was found that glucose was produced from RH by enzymatic hydrolysis and reached 1.72 g/L within 20 min. RH hydrolysate was then used as substrate in MFC for electricity production. The peak voltage output of 369 mV and power density of 27.78 mW/m2 were recorded at external resistance of 1000 Ω. The glucose consumption rate could reach 99.6%. A combined bioprocess plant with capacity of 3 t/d RH for electricity production was simulated for economic analysis. The total capital cost (TCC) and annual operating cost (AOC) of the plant were US$ 40565.7 and US$/y 45819, respectively. The unit production cost (UPC) of electricity from RH was 285.3 US$/kW·h. Sensitivity analysis indicated that electricity generation was the largest determinant of the UPC. This study provided a promising way and economic analysis for biofuels production from biomass.