Microbial Production of Hydrogen: An Overview

Abstract

Production of hydrogen by anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, aerobes, methylotrophs, and photosynthetic bacteria is possible. Anaerobic Clostridia are potential producers and immobilized C. butyricum produces 2 mol H2/mol glucose at 50% efficiency. Spontaneous production of H2 from formate and glucose by immobilized Escherichia coli showed 100% and 60% efficiencies, respectively. Enterobactericiae produces H2 at similar efficiency from different monosaccharides during growth. Among methylotrophs, methanogenes, rumen bacteria, and thermophilic archae, Ruminococcus albus, is promising (2.37 mol/mol glucose). Immobilized aerobic Bacillus licheniformis optimally produces 0.7 mol H2/mol glucose. Photosynthetic Rhodospirillum rubrum produces 4, 7, and 6 mol of H2 from acetate, succinate, and malate, respectively. Excellent productivity (6.2 mol H2/mol glucose) by co-cultures of Cellulomonas with a hydrogenase uptake (Hup) mutant of R. capsulata on cellulose was found. Cyanobacteria, viz., Anabaena, Synechococcus, and Oscillatoria sp., have been studied for photoproduction of H2. Immobilized A. cylindrica produces H2 (20 ml/g dry wt/h) continually for 1 year. Increased H2 productivity was found for Hup mutant of A. variabilis. Synechococcus sp. has a high potential for H2 production in fermentors and outdoor cultures. Simultaneous productions of oxychemicals and H2 by Klebseilla sp. and by enzymatic methods were also attempted. The fate of H2 biotechnology is presumed to be dictated by the stock of fossil fuel and state of pollution in future.

Integrating dark and light bio-hydrogen production strategies: towards the hydrogen economy

“…This work does not attempt to review microbial hydrogen production (for reviews see Vignais et al 1985;Blankenship et al 1995;Sasikala et al 1995;Nandi & Sengupta 1998;Claassen et al 1999 2005; Hawkes et al 2007;Tsygankov 2007), but provides a summary of those organisms which have been studied expressly for the purpose of H 2 production. Combining different organisms in multi-organism strategies creates the possibility to exploit the most useful facets of different metabolisms.…”

Performance of an Innovative Two-Stage Process Converting Food Waste to Hydrogen and Methane

“…6,7 Microorganisms are capable of producing H 2 via either photosynthesis or fermentation. 8,9 Fermentation is generally preferred because it is technically simpler than photosynthesis and it generates H 2 from carbohydrate materials obtained as refuse or waste products. 10 Anaerobic bacteria use organic substances as the sole source of electrons and energy, converting them into H 2 .…”

Biofuel From Cellulosic Mass with Incentive for Feed Industry Employing Thermophilic Microbes

“…Metabolic diversity of purple non-sulfur bacteria allows them to occupy a broad range of environments (Hiraishi & Ueda, 1994;Imhoff & Truper, 1992;Imhoff et al, 2005;Madigan, 2003). It is one of the most diverse groups of the photoorganotrophic bacteria, as they utilize organic compounds as electron donors and carbon sources (Das & Veziroglu, 2001;Hiraishi et al, 1984;Montgomery, 2004;Nandi & Sengupta, 1998). Facultatively microaerophilic to aerobic nature of these bacteria renders them versatile (Pfenning, 1977;Pfenning & Truper, 1974).…”