Hydrogen production by microorganisms and its application in a PEMFC

SUMMARY This paper compares some important parameters obtained in the hydrogen production between the photosynthetic microorganisms Spirulina maxima 2342 and Scenedesmus obliquus 39. It is also reported the employment of hydrogen produced in this study (m3 s−1) in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for electricity production. A comparison is also made between the electric current generated and the final dry biomass (mA mg−1) under specific experimental conditions. In this study, the electric current generated in the PEMFC for a period of 200 min under the light intensity of 150 µE m−2 s−1 and agitation was monitored. With the average current generated by the fuel cell the hydrogen produced by each microorganism is determined. The chromatography method was used to confirm the presence of hydrogen produced by each microorganism which was fed to the PEMFC. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.