A Study of Mutant Algae for Hydrogen Production

Overview

Objectives/Goals Last year, I tested 2 methods of producing H2 from the algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii â## by sulfur(S)-deprivation and addition of different copper (Cu) concentrations to the algae media. This year, I am continuing from last year and focusing on improving photosynthetic efficiency of this process. I am testing whether mutants with special properties improve the algae's light utilization efficiency, resulting in better H2 production. I chose 0.8 ppm Cu because it was the best medium from last year. This can help improve commercial H2 photobioreactors, making algal H2 economically viable. I questioned: Are C. reinhardtii mutants better at producing H2 than the wild type in Cu-enriched or S-deprived media? I hypothesized that mutants with less chlorophyll will utilize light better, producing more H2. From last year, I hypothesized that on a continuous basis, the Cu- enriched media will produce H2 more effectively. Methods/Materials I labeled 6 water bottles as CC-125 Cu, CC-125 S, CC-1101 Cu, CC-1101 S, CC-4170 Cu, and CC-4170 S. I added S-free and Cu 0.8 ppm solutions, and equal amounts of respective algae strains. I assembled an airtight apparatus for the algae environment to become anaerobic. I left it assembled for 5 days, after which I took it off, and fitted balloons onto the bottle spouts to collect the gas produced. After 12 days, I removed the gas-filled balloons and measured H2 using a graduated cylinder. At the beginning and end of the experiment, I measured the light intensity through each bottle with a light meter. Repeated experiment. Results CC-4170 S produced the most H2, followed by CC-4170 Cu, CC-125 S, CC-125 Cu, CC-1101 S, and CC-1101 Cu. Light intensity decreased as it passed through the bottles. The decrease was most for CC-125 Cu (78%) and least for CC-1101 S (58%). The H2 produced by CC-1101 was lower than expected. Conclusions/Discussion My hypothesis was supported. CC-4170, with less chlorophyll than CC-125 let more light pass through it and produced more H2 than CC-125. CC-1101 performed poorly. I think this is because it lacks an eyespot, which is needed for the algae to function properly. As expected, mutants in the S-deprived medium produced more H2; but by the end of the experiment, they began to die. The algae in the Cu-enriched medium produced less H2, but remained healthy at the end of the experiment.

Awards (1)

• First Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2011 Alternative Energy (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0218

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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