CHAPTER 17: Microalgal Hydrogen Production Outdoors: First Attempts

This chapter examines recent advancements in scaling up hydrogen production with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as an outcome of the discovery of the sulfur-deprivation process. Actual and theoretical limits of the efficiency of the process are discussed. Moreover, first attempts to scale up hydrogen production outdoors, using an indirect, light-driven process with the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis PCC 6803, are also considered. The most important biological and technological challenges in the development of outdoor hydrogen production systems are discussed. Finally, future prospects for commercial applications are discussed briefly.