Photoproduction of Hydrogen by Immobilized Cells of a Photosynthetic Bacterium, Rhodospirillum rubrum G-9 BM

抄録

A photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodospirillum rubrum G-9 BM, was immobilized in agar or carrageenan gel. The immobilized cells produced hydrogen from a wide range of organic compounds in the light. The highest activity was seen for mid-log phase cells. The immobilized cells also consumed organic compounds in the dark. Inhibition experiments suggested that the photoproduction of hydrogen was mostly catalyzed by nitrogenase. By using the immobilized cells, continuous photoproduction of hydrogen was carried out successfully for 60 days. After the operation, the hydrogen-producing activity of the cells was still about 40% of the original level.