Determination of the potential of cyanobacterial strains for hydrogen production

Hydrogen (H2) is a renewable, abundant, and nonpolluting source of energy. Photosynthetic organisms capture sunlight very efficiently and convert it into organic molecules. Cyanobacteria produce H2 by breaking down organic compounds and water. In this study, biological H2 was produced from various strains of cyanobacteria. Moreover, H2 accumulation by Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was as high as 0.037 μmol/mg Chl/h within 120 h in the dark. The wild-type, filamentous, non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Desertifilum sp. IPPAS B-1220 was found to produce a maximum of 0.229 μmol/mg Chl/h in the gas phase within 166 h in the light, which was on par with the maximum yield reported in the literature. DCMU at 10 μM increased H2 production by Desertifilum sp. IPPAS B-1220 by 1.5-fold to 0.348 μmol H2/mg Chl/h. This is the first report on the capability of Desertifilum cyanobacterium to produce H2.