Exposing C.reinhardtii to Anaerobic Atmospheric Conditions to Enhance Hydrogen Production Christina George Period 0,1 Even

Need

Need

Knowledge Base  Anaerobic Conditions: the absence of oxygen

Knowledge Base  Sulfur Deprivation: Growing the algae in Sulfur- replete medium or Sulfur-free medium

Knowledge Base  Autotrophic organism that produces hydrogen in sulfur deprived anaerobic conditions / large.jpg C.reinahrdtii

Knowledge Base Light intensities v. the CO2 exchange when measured by the photosynthetic rate

Isoamylase  Important enzyme for starch accumulation which is important for hydrogen production (Posewitz, 2005).

Literature Review  Rosenbaum, Miriam (2005) ‘Utilizing the Green Alga C.reinhardtii for Microbial Electricity Generation” Direct electricity generation from microbial photosynthetic activity Oxidative depletion of hydrogen, photosynthetically produced by C.reinahrdtii under sulfur deprived conditions, by polymer coated electro catalytic electrodes

Literature Review  Melis, Anastasios (2000) “Sustained Photobiological Hydrogen Gas Production upon Reversible Inactivation of oxygen Evolution in C.reinhardtii” As sulfur deprivation increases, so does the hydrogen production

Literature Review  Posewitz, Matthew C. (2004) “Hydrogen Photoproduction is Attenuated by Disruption of an Isoamylase Gene in C.reinhardtii” Time represents the anaerobic induction time CC425=C.reinhardtii

Literature Review  Logan, Bruce E. (2006) “Using Algae and other Biomass for Hydrogen Production in a Modified Microbial Fuel Cell” A small voltage was applied (.25 V) to the algae, which generated pure hydrogen gas at the cathode

Purpose  Therefore, the purpose of this experiment is to find the optimal duration of anaerobic exposure needed to optimize C.reinhardtii hydrogen production

Hypotheses  Alternate: A long period of anaerobic conditions will increase the hydrogen production  Null: The duration and frequency of anaerobic conditions will have no effect on the amount of hydrogen produced

Exposing C.reinhardtii to Anaerobic Atmospheric Conditions to Enhance Hydrogen Production Problem: What is the optimal duration of anaerobic exposure needed to optimize C.reinhardtii hydrogen production? Control Groups: The Algae growth medium, Temperatur e, and light intensity Independent Variable: Growth of C.reinhardtii and hydrogen produced (original concentration 700mL) Dependent Variable: Carbon dioxide levels, pH levels All data will statistically analyzed by SPSS, by an ANOVA followed by a Sheffe Post Hoc Test. Data will then be put in line graphs. -The hydrogen gas produced will be measured using an H2Scan hydrogen detector. -A fluorometer will be used to measure the photosynthetic rate..5 hours of anaerobic atmospher ic conditions 3 hours of anaerobic atmospheri c conditions 6 hours of anaerobic atmospheric conditions -Carbon dioxide concentration measured using a Pasco GLX Xplorer -pH levels measured using pH paper -growth of C.reinhardtii measured using a Spectrophotometer Algae will be grown in designated duration of anaerobic time in an anaerobic container, and will be fertilized with sulfur deprived growth medium (100 mL). Control group of algae will be grown in the airlift bioreactor (700 ml) with no anaerobic or sulfur deprived conditions

Do Ability  C.reinhardtii: Can be grown in the lab as done in previous years  Anaerobic container can be purchased  A hydrogen sensor will be difficult to find at a low cost

Budget VendorOrder # Quantit yDescriptionPrice Total price Carolina Biological C.reinhardtii9.50 (ea)19 Carolina Biological algae fertilizer16.85 (ea)33.7 Ilmavc anaerobic container Warehouse Lighting WS flourescent light99.99 CYTO-Airlift1bioreactor A.W. Sperry1photometer fishsupply.com slnt-sdt02 1timer19.99 Aturner DesignsFluorometer NEODYMHK-GH-A080C-W50A-O5-R1-S1-E2-I2-P1-J1-Z01 Hydrogen Sensor

Work Cited  Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore. "Carbon Dioxide Transformed Into Methanol." ScienceDaily 17 April April  **“Algae Could One Day Be Major Hydrogen Fuel Source.” Science Daily. April 2,  American Chemical Society. "'Ice That Burns' May Yield Clean, Sustainable Bridge To Global Energy Future." ScienceDaily 24 March April  Basque Research. "Obtaining Bio-gas From Food Industry Waste." ScienceDaily 31 March May  **Chisti, Yusuf. “Biodiesel from Microalgae.” Biotechnology Advances. Vol. 25, Pgs February 13,  CNRS. "Renewable Energies: The Promise Of Organic Solar Cells." ScienceDaily 10 April May  DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory. "New Hope For Biomass Fuels: Breaking The Ties That Bind." ScienceDaily 29 April May  **Fouchard, Swanny. "Autotrophic and Mixotrophic Hydrogen Photoproduction in Sulfur Deprived C.Reinhardtii." Applied and Enviornmental Microbiology 71 (2005): May  **Kim Pyo, Jun; et al. “Enhancing hydrogen production by controlling light intensity in sulfur-deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii culture.” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. Vol.31, Pgs , September  **Najafpour, G. "Continuous Hydrogen Production via Fermentation of Synthesis Gas." Petroleum and Coal 45 (2003): May  National Institute of Standards and Technology. "Discovery Of An Unexpected Boost For Solar Water-splitting Cells." ScienceDaily 26 April May  Natural Environment Research Council. "Plants Absorb More Carbon Dioxide Under Polluted Hazy Skies." ScienceDaily 23 April April  Weizmann Institute of Science. "New Way To Split Water Into Hydrogen And Oxygen Developed." ScienceDaily 8 April April  **(articles used from last years study)