Conference article

Only water hydrolysis with renewable energies is a sustainable process for hydrogen production. Biohydrogen production is an interesting alternative that is being explored at the scientific level. The microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been extensively studied and used as a model for the photo-production of H2. The aim of this proposal is to develop a sustainable bioprocess for the production of H2 from C. reinhardtii and just preliminary results are shown here. For the first step; solar bioreactors have been tested. The biomass is recovered and suspended in another culture media with restricted concentrations of sulphur. The culture is maintained in a closed photobioreactor with magnetic stirring and 24-h illumination with fluorescent lamps. Hydrogen is produced continuously reaching maximal durations of about 20 days. Solar light should be tested in order to avoid energy requirements from artificial illumination during hydrogen production. Coupling the production system to a hybrid electric station; the process would be more sustainable. However; a lot of research must be developed before this technology would allow scale the hydrogen production to a pilot plant in order to be used in rural communities as a source of energy and as an alternative economic activity.

Microalgae; Chlamydomonas reinhardti; Biohydrogen; Photobioreactor; Sustainability