Photoproduction of hydrogen from glucose by a co-culture of a photosynthetic bacterium and Clostridium butyricum

Abstract

Clostridium butyricum IFO-13949 and a photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas sp. RV were co-cultureed to produce hydrogen from glucose with light irradiation. C. butyricum converts glucose mainly to butyrate with evolution of hydrogen by hydrogenase. Butyrate was then converted to hydrogen by nitrogenase of Rhodopseudomonas sp. RV, newly isolated for the combination. Agar-immobilized co-culture of both bacteria evolved hydrogen at 7.0 mol per mol of glucose consumed in the light, and 1.1 mol in the dark. We estimate the contributions of hydrogenase and nitrogenase by hydrogen production were 16 and 84%, respectively. 16 references.