Hydrogen photoproduction by algae and higher plants: Optimal conditions for polarographic determination

Abstract

Photosynthetic H2 production capacity has been studied using a H2 sensitive electrode in green and blue-green algae, higher plant cells and chloroplasts and photosynthetic bacteria. Among the cell types tried,Anacystis showed the maximum rate of H2 production. All the cell types require either an electron acceptor or a reductant (sodium dithionite) for H2 production. In the presence of an electron acceptor or reductant H2 production was observed even in unadapted cells. Cultures ofAnacystis grown for a maximum period of 70 days showed a high rate of H2 production up to 40 days. The light saturation curves and pH optima for H2 production were similar to that of O2 evolution in the cell types studied.