Hydrogen production from water: Recent advances in photosynthesis research
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States). Chemical Technology Div.
The great potential of hydrogen production by microalgal water splitting is predicated on quantitative measurement of the algae`s hydrogen-producing capability, which is based on the following: (1) the photosynthetic unit size of hydrogen production; (2) the turnover time of photosynthetic hydrogen production; (3) thermodynamic efficiencies of conversion of light energy into the Gibbs free energy of molecular hydrogen; (4) photosynthetic hydrogen production from sea water using marine algae; (5) the potential for research advances using modern methods of molecular biology and genetic engineering to maximize hydrogen production. ORNL has shown that sustained simultaneous photoevolution of molecular hydrogen and oxygen can be performed with mutants of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that lack a detectable level of the Photosystem I light reaction. This result is surprising in view of the standard two-light reaction model of photosynthesis and has interesting scientific and technological implications. This ORNL discovery also has potentially important implications for maximum thermodynamic conversion efficiency of light energy into chemical energy by green plant photosynthesis. Hydrogen production performed by a single light reaction, as opposed to two, implies a doubling of the theoretically maximum thermodynamic conversion efficiency from {approx}10% to {approx}20%.
- Research Organization:
- National Hydrogen Association, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 330658
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970385-PROC.; ON: DE99001002; TRN: IM9915%%174
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8. annual U.S. National Hydrogen Association meeting, Alexandria, VA (United States), 11-13 Mar 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of 8. annual U.S. hydrogen meeting: Proceedings; PB: 546 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Temperature effect on production of hydrogen and oxygen by Chlamydomonas cold strain CCMP1619 and wild-type 137c
Carbon dioxide fixation and photoevolution of hydrogen and oxygen in a mutant of Chlamydomonas lacking Photosystem I