Algal Hydrogen Production

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions that are responsible for global climate change is currently the major scientific challenge facing the world. Harvesting solar energy via photosynthesis and converting it directly into fuel is a natural means of producing clean, renewable energy. Oxygenic photosynthetic microbes, such as green algae, are capable of simultaneously splitting water and generating oxygen and hydrogen. The harnessed energy, in the form of hydrogen gas, can then be directly coupled to a fuel cell for electricity generation, or used as a feedstock for the synthesis of more complex carbon fuels. At the moment, the efficiency of hydrogen photoproduction from green algae is very low. This article summarizes the biochemical pathway for hydrogen production from algae and the challenges that must be overcome to raise the conversion efficiency to a level that will support a commercial process.