The effect of light emission spectrum on biohydrogen production by Rhodopseudomonas palustris

• Published in: Bioprocess and biosystems engineering Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 913 - 919
• Main Authors: Bosman, Catharine Elizabeth, Pott, Robert William McClelland, Bradshaw, Steven Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-06-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biohydrogen; Biotechnology; Carotenoids; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Clean energy; Engineering; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Fluorescent lighting; Food Science; Glycerol; Green energy; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Industrial and Production Engineering; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Investigations; Light; Light emission; Light emitting diodes; Light sources; Luminous intensity; Mimicry; Operating costs; Productivity; Rapid Communication; Rhodopseudomonas; Rhodopseudomonas palustris; Sun; Sunlight; Wavelength; Photofermentation; Illumination; Emission spectrum; Photobioreactor; Rhodopseudomonas palustris
• ISSN: 1615-7591; 1615-7605
• DOI: 10.1007/s00449-023-02863-8

Photofermentative hydrogen production has gained increasing attention as a source of green energy. To make such photofermentation processes economically competitive, operating costs need to be reduced, possibly through outdoor operation. Because photofermentation processes are light dependent, the emission spectrum and intensity of light both have a significant influence on the hydrogen production and merit investigation. This study investigates the effect of light sources on the hydrogen production and growth of
Rhodopseudomonas palustris
, comparing the organism’s productivity under longer-wavelength light and light mimicking sunlight. Hydrogen production is enhanced under longer-wavelength light, producing 26.8% (± 7.3%) more hydrogen as compared to under light mimicking that of sunlight; however,
R. palustris
is still able to produce a considerable volume of hydrogen under light with a spectrum mimicking that of sunlight, providing a promising avenue for future research.