Light Intensity is Important for Hydrogen Production in NaHSO3-Treated Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

摘要

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga that can use light energy to produce H-2 from H2O in the background of NaHSO3 treatment. However, the role of light intensity in such H-2 production remains elusive. Here, light intensity significantly affected the yield of H2 production in NaHSO3- treated C. reinhardtii, which was consistent with its effects on the content of O-2 and the expression and activity of hydrogenase. Further, NaHSO3 was found to be able to remove O-2 via a reaction of bisulfite with superoxide anion produced at the acceptor side of PSI, and light intensity affected the reaction rate significantly. Accordingly, high light and strong light but not low light can create an anaerobic environment, which is important to activate hydrogenase and produce H-2. Based on the above results, we conclude that light intensity plays an important role in removing O-2 and consequently activating hydrogenase and producing H-2 in NaHSO3- treated C. reinhardtii.