Actual and potential rates of hydrogen photoproduction by continuous culture of the purple non-sulphur bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus

Abstract

The influence of (NH4)2SO4 concentration and dilution rate (D) on actual and potential H2 photoproduction has been studied in ammonium-limited chemostat cultures of Rhodobacter capsulatus B10. The actual H2 production in a photobioreactor was maximal (approx. 80 ml h−1 l−1) at D = 0.06 h−1 and 4 mM (NH4)2SO4. However, it was lower than the potential H2 evolution (calculated from hydrogen evolution rates in incubation vials), which amounted to 100–120 ml h−1 l−1 at D = 0.03–0.08 h−1. Taking into account the fact that H2 production in the photobioreactor under these conditions was not limited by light or lactate, another limiting (inhibiting) factor should be sought. One possibility is an inhibition of H2 production by the H2 accumulated in the gas phase. This is apparent from the non-linear kinetics of H2 evolution in the vials or from its inhibition by the addition of H2; initial rates were restored in both cases after the vials had been refilled with argon. The actual H2 production in the photobioreactor at D = 0.06 h−1 was shown to increase from approximately 80 ml h−1 l−1 to approximately 100 ml h−1 l−1 under an argon flow at 100 ml min−1. Under maximal H2 production rates in the photobioreactor, up to 30% of the lactate feedstock was utilised for H2 production and 50% for biomass synthesis.