Hydrogen production from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii biomass using a two-step conversion process: Anaerobic conversion and photosynthetic fermentation

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy 2006-05, Vol.31 (6), p.812-816
• Main Authors: Kim, Mi-Sun, Baek, Jin-Sook, Yun, Young-Su, Jun Sim, Sang, Park, Sunghun, Kim, Sun-Chang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algal biomass; Alternative fuels. Production and utilization; Applied sciences; C. butyricum; C. reinhardtii; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; Hydrogen; Hydrogen energy; R. sphaeroides
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2005.06.009

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii UTEX 90 accumulated 1.45 g dry cell weight and 0.77 g starch/L during photosynthetic growth using TAP media at 25 ∘ C in presence of 2% CO 2 for 3 days. C. reinhardtii biomass was concentrated and then converted into hydrogen and organic acids by anaerobic fermentation with Clostridium butyricum. Organic acids in the fermentate of algal biomass were consecutively photo-dissimilated to hydrogen by Rhodobacter sphaeroides KD131. In the concentrated algal biomass 52% of the starch was hydrolyzed to 37.1 mmol H 2 /L-concentrated algal biomass and 13.6, 25.5, 7.4 and 493 mM of formate, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, respectively by C. butyricum. R. sphaeroides KD131 evolved 5.72 mmol H 2 per ml-fermentate of algal biomass under illumination of 8 klux at 30 ∘ C . Only 80% of the organic acids, mainly butyrate, were hydrolyzed during photo-incubation. During anaerobic conversion, 2.58 mol H 2 / mol starch–glucose was evolved using C. butyricum and then 5.72 mol H 2 / L -anaerobic fermentate was produced by R. sphaeroides KD131. Thus, the two-step conversion process produced 8.30 mol H 2 from 1 mol starch–glucose equivalent algal biomass via organic acids.