Abstract
Biofuels are anticipated to enable a shift from fossil fuels for renewable transportation and manufacturing fuels, with biohydrogen considered attractive since it could offer the largest reduction of global carbon budgets. Currently, lignocellulosic biohydrogen production remains inefficient with pretreatments that are heavily fossil fuel-dependent. However, bacteria using alkali-treated biomass could streamline biofuel production while reducing costs and fossil fuel needs. An alkaliphilic bacterium, Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans, is described that is capable of biohydrogen production at levels rivaling neutrophilic strains, but at pH 11 and hypersaline conditions. H. hydrogeniformans ferments a variety of 5-and 6-carbon sugars derived from hemicellulose and cellulose including cellobiose, and forms the end products hydrogen, acetate, and formate. Further, it can also produce biohydrogen from switchgrass and straw pretreated at temperatures far lower than any previously reported and in solutions compatible with growth. Hence, this bacterium can potentially increase the efficiency and efficacy of biohydrogen production from renewable biomass resources.
Recommended Citation
M. B. Begemann et al., "A Streamlined Strategy for Biohydrogen Production with Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans, an Alkaliphilic Bacterium," Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 3, Frontiers Media, Mar 2012.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00093
Department(s)
Biological Sciences
Second Department
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Sponsor(s)
United States. Department of Energy. Office of Biological and Environmental Research
University of Missouri. Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Program
Keywords and Phrases
Alkaliphile; Biofuel; Biohydrogen; Extremophile
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1664-302X
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2012 Frontiers Media, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Publication Date
01 Mar 2012
Comments
This work was made possible through support from the US Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Research and the University of Missouri Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Program.