Production of bio-fuels (hydrogen and lipids) through a photofermentation process

The purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria Rhodopseudomonas palustris (strain 42OL) was investigated for a co-production of both bio-H(2) and biodiesel (lipids). The investigation was carried out using malic and glutamic acids in a fed-batch cultivation system under Continuous irradiances of 36, 56, 75, 151, 320, 500, and 803 W m(-2). Boltzmann's sigmoidal regression model was used to determine growth kinetic parameters during hydrogen photoevolution. The upper limit of volumetric hydrogen photoevolution was 15.5 +/- 0.9 ml l(-1) h(-1). During the entire Cultivation period (408 h), the highest average hydrogen production rate (HPR(av)) of 11.1 +/- 3.1 ml l(-1) h(-1) was achieved it an irradiance of 320 W m(-2). Biomasses stored at the end of each experimental set were analyzed in order to determine lipid content, which ranged from a minimum of 22 +/- 1% to a maximum of 39 +/- 2% of biomass dry weight. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.