What is it about?
Molecular hydrogen is a clean energy carrier vital for a sustainable, low-carbon economy. Green algae can naturally produce hydrogen by splitting water using sunlight, but this process is usually short-lived because it is highly sensitive to oxygen, which is also released during photosynthesis. This article presents a breakthrough protocol that overcomes this limitation by exposing algal cultures to pulses of intense light interrupted by darkness or low background illumination. This approach redirects photosynthetic electrons away from CO₂ fixation toward H₂ production, making algae function as true biocatalysts. The result is sustained and efficient hydrogen generation from algae, opening new possibilities for renewable, solar-driven green hydrogen.
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Why is it important?
This novel protocol demonstrates a sustainable way to produce green hydrogen biofuel by harnessing algae as photosynthetic cell factories. By redirecting photosynthetic electrons from CO₂ fixation toward H₂ production, algae act as efficient biocatalysts for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. This approach advances renewable fuel technologies, improves light utilisation efficiency, and strengthens the role of algae in the transition to a low-carbon energy system. This research contributes directly to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production • SDG 13: Climate Action Keywords: Green algae, Algal hydrogen production, Photosynthesis, Solar hydrogen, Photosynthetic cell factories, Biocatalysis, Light utilization efficiency, Energy conversion efficiency, Solar-to-chemical conversion.
Perspectives
This finding opens up new opportunities for construction of highly-efficient photosynthetic cell factories for production of biofuels and chemicals directly from solar energy. It provides important information how to avoid ‘wasting’ of solar-driven energy to biomass production and how to apply this energy for direct production of useful bio-products.
Dr Sergey N Kosourov
Turun Yliopisto
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A new approach for sustained and efficient H2 photoproduction by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Energy & Environmental Science, January 2018, Royal Society of Chemistry,
DOI: 10.1039/c8ee00054a.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Open Access PDF file
Download the paper here.
Supplementary material
Download the supplementary material here.
Novel Approach for Photosynthetic Production of Carbon Neutral Biofuel from Green Algae
Check the press release in English here.
Levän fotosynteesi mahdollistaa hiilineutraalin biopolttoaineen tuotannon
Check the press release in Finnish here.
Elias Tillandz -palkinto syövän täsmähoitoa ja hiilineutraalia biopolttoainetta käsitteleville artikkeleille
The publication was awarded by the Elias Tillandz prize as the best research publication of 2018 in the BioCity, Turku.
Algae efficiently split water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight
The research proves that algae perform the direct biophotolysis of water to derive H2.
A significant improvement in hydrogen gas production by cultures of green algae
Sustanability of photosynthetic H2 production could be achived in algal cultures for over two weeks.
Contributors
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