Microalgal Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen could be the fuel of the future. Some microorganisms can produce hydrogen upon illumination. Biological methods of production could be greener than chemical or physical production methods, but the potential of biological methods is still being harnessed. This comprehensive book highlights the key steps necessary for future exploitation of solar-light-driven hydrogen production by microalgae. Contributors from key institutions come together to suggest and examine the most significant issues that must be resolved to achieve the goal of practical implementation, while proposing reliable methodologies and approaches to solve such issues. Approaches in this field tend to be interdisciplinary, hence this book combines information on theoretical background and experimental know-how. The first part explains the biology and physiology of photobiological hydrogen production. In the second part, developments in biotechnology are examined. This book will be an indispensable resource for advanced students, researchers and professionals working across the field of bioenergy.

Photosynthesis and Hydrogen from Photosynthetic Microorganisms; Structure-function of [FeFe]- and [NiFe]-hydrogenases: an Overview of Diversity, Mechanism, Maturation, and Bifurcation; Theory Related to [FeFe]- and [NiFe]-hydrogenases: Stereoelectronic Properties, H-cluster Oxidation, and Mechanisms for Increasing Oxygen Tolerance; The Physiology of the Bidirectional NiFe-hyrogenase in Cyanobacteria and the Role of Hydrogen Throughout the Evolution of Life; Assessment of Electrochemically-based Strategies to Protect [FeFe]-hydrogenases from Oxygen; Sustaining Hydrogen Production in Eukaryotic Microalgae Through Genetic Approaches; Metabolism and Genetics of Algal Hydrogen Production; Photosynthetic Electron Transfer Pathways During Hydrogen Photoproduction in Green Algae: Mechanisms and Limitations; The Role of Chlamydomonas Ferredoxins in Hydrogen Production and Other Related Metabolic Functions; The Metabolic Acclimation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to Depletion of Essential Nutrients: Application for Hydrogen Production; Environmental Factors Affecting Hydrogen Production from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; In vitro Light-driven Hydrogen Production; Hydrogen Production Using Novel Photosynthetic Cell Factories. Cyanobacterial Hydrogen Production: Design of Efficient Organisms; Improving Photosynthetic Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency: the Truncated Light-harvesting Antenna (TLA) Concept; Immobilization of Microalgae as a Tool for Efficient Light Utilization in H2 Production and Other Biotechnology Applications; Development of Photobioreactors for H2 Production from Algae; Microalgal Hydrogen Production Outdoors: First Attempts; Material Characteristics and Requirements for Photobiological Hydrogen Production Applications; Environmental Life Cycle Assessments of Photobiological Hydrogen Production; Future Perspectives