Brazilian researchers obtain hydrogen from vine shoots

In Brazil, a research team from the universities of Jaén and São Paulo has confirmed that hydrogen can be obtained from vine shoots through a process that does not require fossil fuels and does not emit pollutants. With their work, they manage to give new value to this waste from the wine industry, while creating environmentally friendly energy.

Almost 93% of the residues produced during the grape harvest are made up of debris, i.e., vine shoots, which until now have been used to produce organic compost or used as firewood. However, for some years now researchers have been looking for alternatives to take advantage of waste that could be very attractive for other industries such as pharmaceuticals or cosmetics, due to the high lignin content, from which compounds with antioxidant properties can be obtained.

In addition, biomass fermentation yields other products, such as hydrogen that is used as fuel, as described by these experts in the article “Vine shoots pre-treatment strategies for improved hydrogen production and metabolites redistribution in Clostridium butyricum,” published in the journal Industrial Crops and Products, where they confirm that biological pre-treatment of the shoots with an enzyme is the best option to start production on an industrial scale.

Unlike other treatments that employ chemical or physical reagents, this process is more environmentally friendly, as it does not require recycling of waste products and does not release toxic compounds.