Improving feeding profile strategy for hydrogen production by Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 using meta-heuristic methods

Hydrogen has received considerable attention as a sustainable energy source to the future and biological hydrogen production has been gaining consideration as a potential method. One microorganism that produces hydrogen is the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142, which stands out for its rate of hydrogen production. However, there are still some challenges for understanding and improving the hydrogen production process by this cyanobacterium. Thus, this work aimed to perform an in silico study of a feeding profile strategy for hydrogen production by Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 in batch/fed-batch process to improve the amount of hydrogen generated during the process. Two meta-heuristic methods were used to find the best feeding profile and the switch time between batch and fed-batch modes. Hydrogen production is similar in the results of both methods, but PSO indicated a simpler feeding policy, leading to 19.5% more hydrogen produced than that reported in the literature.