Photofermentation

Photofermentation is the fermentative conversion of organic substrate to biohydrogen manifested by a diverse group of photosynthetic bacteria by a series of biochemical reactions involving three steps similar to anaerobic conversion. Photofermentation differs from dark fermentation because it only proceeds in the presence of light.

For example, photo-fermentation with Rhodobacter sphaeroides SH2C (or many other purple non-sulfur bacteria[1]) can be employed to convert small molecular fatty acids into hydrogen[2] and other products.

[3] Depicts general process of photofermentation.
  1. ^ Redwood MD, Paterson-Beedle M, Macaskie LE (June 2009). "Integrating dark and light bio-hydrogen production strategies: towards the hydrogen economy" (PDF). Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology. 8 (2): 149–185. doi:10.1007/s11157-008-9144-9. S2CID 83562378.
  2. ^ Tao Y, Chen Y, Wu Y, He Y, Zhou Z (February 2007). "High hydrogen yield from a two-step process of dark-and photo-fermentation of sucrose". International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 32 (2): 200–6. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2006.06.034.
  3. ^ Gabrielyan, Lilit; Sargsyan, Harutyun; Trchounian, Armen (2015-09-04). "Novel properties of photofermentative biohydrogen production by purple bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides: effects of protonophores and inhibitors of responsible enzymes". Microbial Cell Factories. 14 (1): 131. doi:10.1186/s12934-015-0324-3. ISSN 1475-2859. PMC 4558839. PMID 26337489.