Abstract
Natural photosynthesis may be adapted to advantage in the development of clean energy technologies. Efficient biocatalysts that can be used in solar energy conversion technologies are the cyanobacteria. Photobioreactors incorporating cyanobacteria have been used to demonstrate (a) the production of hydrogen gas, (b) the assimilation of CO2 with the production of algal biomass, (c) the excretion of ammonium, and (d) the removal of nitrate and phosphate from contaminated waters.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Chl:
-
chlorophyll
- DW:
-
dry weight
- MSX:
-
L-methionine-D-L-sulphoximine
- PAR:
-
photosynthetically active radiation
- PU:
-
polyurethane
- PV:
-
polyvinyl
- PVC:
-
polyvinylchloride
References
Adams MWW, Upchurch RG and Mortenson LE (1980) An evaluation of N2 fixation and H2 production in fermentation culture. Annual Reports on Fermentation Processes 4: 267–315
Allsopp D and Seal KJ (1986) Introduction to Biodeterioration, pp 40–45. Edward Arnold, London
Arnon DI (1965) Ferredoxin and photosynthesis. Science 149: 1460–1469
Benemann JR (1994) Feasibility analysis of photobiological hydrogen production. In: Block DL and Veziroglu TN (eds) Hydrogen Energy Progress X. Proc. of the 10th World Hydrogen Energy Conference, Florida, 1994. pp 931–940
Bolton JR and Hall DO (1979) Photochemical conversion and storage of solar energy. Ann Rev Energy 4: 353–402
Bothe H (1982) Hydrogen production by algae. Experientia 38: 59–64
Bothe H and Kentemich T (1990) Potentialities of H2 production by cyanobacteria for solar energy conversion programmes. In: Veziroglu TN and Takahashi PK (eds) Hydrogen Energy Progress VIII, pp 729–734. Pergamon Press, New York
Brouers M, Shi DJ and Hall DO (1988) Immobilisation methods for cyanobacteria in solid matrices. Methods in Enzymology 167: 629–636
Carmichael WW (1992) Cyanobacteria secondary metabolities — the cytotoxins. J Appl Bacteriol 72: 445–459
Cresswell RC, Rees TAV and Shah N (eds) (1989) Algal and Cyanobacterial Biotechnology. Longman Scientific and Technical, London
de laNoue J and Basseres A (1989) Biotreatment of anaerobically digested swine manure with microalgae. Biological Wastes 29: 17–31
Fay P (1992) Oxygen relations of nitrogen fixation in cyanobacteria. Microbiol Rev 56: 340–373
Fogg GE, Stewart WDP, Fay P and Walsby AE (1973) The Blue-green Algae. Academic Press Ltd, London
Garbisu C, Hall DO and Serra JL (1992) Nitrate and nitrite uptake by free-living and immobilised N-starved cells of phormidium laminosum. J Chem Tech Biotechnol 57: 181–189
Garbisu C, Gil JM, Bazin MJ, Hall DO and Serra JL (1994) Inorganic nitrogen and phosphate removal from water by free-living and polyvinvyl-immobilised Phormidium laminosum in batch and continuous-flow bioreactors. Enzyme and Microb Technol 16: 395–401
Greenbaum E (1988) Energetic efficiency of hydrogen photoevolution by algal water splitting. Biophys J 54: 365–368
Greene B and Darnall DW (1990) Microbial oxygenic photoautotrophs (cyanobacteria and algae) for metal ion binding. In: Ehrlich HL and Brierley CL (eds) Microbial Mineral Recovery, pp 272–302. Cambridge University Press
Guerrero MG, Ramos JL and Losada M (1982) Photosynthetic production of ammonia. Experientia 32: 53–58
Hall DO, Affolter DA, Brouers M, Shi DJ, Yang LW and Rao KK (1985) Photobiological production of fuels and chemicals by immobilised algae. Ann Proc Phytochem Soc Eur 26: 161–185. Oxford University Press
Hall DO and Rao KK (1989) Immobilised photosynthetic membranes and cells for the production of fuels and chemicals. Chimica Oggi 7 (3): 41–47
Hall DO, Mynick HE and Williams RH (1991) Cooling the green-house with bioenergy. Nature 353: 11–12
Kamuru F, Albrecht SL, Baker JT, Allen LHJr and Shanmugam KT (1994) Growth responses of paddy rice to an ammonia-excreting mutant cyanobacterium at elevated CO2 concentration. Appl Soil Ecology 1: 199–206
Kannaiyan S, Rao KK and Hall DO (1994) Immobilisation of Anabeana azollae from Azolla filiculoides in polyvinyl foam for ammonia production in a photobioreactorsystem. World J Microbiol and Biotechnol 10: 55–58
Lambert GR and Smith GD (1981) The hydrogen metabolism of cyanobacteria. Biol Rev 56: 589–660
Markov SA, Lichtl R, Rao KK and Hall DO (1993) A hollow fibre photobioreactor for continuous production of hydrogen by immobilised cyanobacteria under partial vacuum. Int J Hydrogen Energy 18: 901–906
Markov SA and Hall DO (1994) Photoproduction of hydrogen by cyanobacteria under partial vacuum in batch culture or in a photobioreactor. In: Block DL and Veziroglu TN (eds) Hydrogen Energy Progress X. Proc. of the 10th World Hydrogen Energy Conference, Florida, 1994, pp 941–948
Markov SA, Bazin MJ and Hall DO (1995a) The potential of using cyanobacteria in photobioreactors for hydrogen production. Advances in Biochem Eng Biotech 52: 61–86
Markov SA, Lichtl R, Bazin MJ and Hall DO (1995b) Hydrogen production and carbon dioxide uptake by immobilised Anabaena variabilis in a hollow fibre photobioreactor. Enzyme and Microbial Biotechnol 17: 306–310
Marland G and Marland S (1992) Should we store carbon in trees? Water, Air and Soil Pollution 64: 181–195
Matsumura S, Kurita H and Shimokobe H (1993) Anaerobic biodegradability of polyvinyl alcohol. Biotechnol Lett 15: 749–754
Mikheeva LE, Schmitz O, Shestakov S and Bothe H (1995) Mutants of the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis altered in hydrogenase activities. Z Naturforsch 50C: 505–510
Miyamoto K, Hallenbeck PC and Benemann JR (1979) Solar Energy Conversion by Anabaena cylindrica. J Fermentation Technol 57: 287–293
Oswald WJ (1988) The role of microalgae in liquid waste treatment and reclamation. In: Lembi CA and Waaland JR (eds) Algae and Human Affairs, pp 255–281. Cambridge University Press
Park IH, Rao KK and Hall DO (1991) Photoproduction of hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia using immobilised cyanobacteria. Int J Hydrogen Energy 16: 313–318
Peterson RB and Burris RH (1978) Hydrogen metabolism in isolated heterocysts of Anabaena 7120 Arch Microbiol 116: 125–132
Rao KK and Hall DO (1984) Photosynthetic production of fuels and chemicals in immobilised systems. Trends in Biotechnol 2: 124–129
Reimer PWF (ed) (1993) Proceedings of the IEA carbon dioxide disposal symposium. Oxford 1993. Pergamon Press, Oxford
Richmond A (ed) (1986) Handbook of microalgal mass culture. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Schimel DS (1995) Terrestrial ecosystems and the carbon cycle. Global Change Biology 1: 77–91
Shi DJ, Brouers M and Hall DO (1987) The effects of immobilisation of the biochemical, physiological and morphological features of Anabaena azollae. Planta 172: 298–308
Stewart WDP (1980) Some aspects of structure and function in N2-fixing cyanobacteria. Ann Rev Microbiol 34: 497–536
Swaminathan MS (1984) Rice. Scientific American 250 (1): 62–71
Tel-Or E and Stewart WDP (1977) Photosynthetic components and activities of nitrogen-fixing isolated heterocysts of Anabaena cylindrica. Proc Royal Soc London, Ser B: 198: 61–86
Vonshak A and Guy R (1992) Photoadaptation, photoinhibition and productivity in the blue-gree alga, Spirulina platensis grown outdoors. Plant Cell Environ 15: 613–616
Watanabe Y, de laNoue J and Hall DO (1995) Photosynthetic performance of a helical tubular photobioreactor incorporating the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis. Biotechnol Bioeng 47: 261–269
Watanabe Y and Hall DO (1995) Photosynthetic production of the filamentous cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis in a conical-shaped helical tubular photobioreactor. Appl Microbiol and Biotechnol (in press)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hall, D.O., Markov, S.A., Watanabe, Y. et al. The potential applications of cyanobacterial photosynthesis for clean technologies. Photosynth Res 46, 159–167 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020426
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020426