Isolation and characterization of high hydrogen-producing strain Clostridium beijerinckii PS-3 from fermented oil palm sap

Felled oil palm trunk (OPT) (25 years old) is an abundant biomass in Southern Thailand. The OPT composition was 31.28–42.85% cellulose, 19.73–25.56% hemicellulose, 10.74–18.47% lignin, 1.63–2.25% protein, 1.60–1.83% fat, 1.12–1.35% ash and trace amount of minerals (0.01–0.40%). Oil palm sap extracted from OPT was found to contain 15.72 g/L glucose, 2.25 g/L xylose, and 0.086 g/L arabinose. A total of twenty samples from hot springs (45–75 °C and pH 6.5–8.4), oil palm sap and palm oil mill effluent were enriched for isolation of hydrogen-producing bacteria. The highest hydrogen-producing strain was isolated from oil palm sap and identified as Clostridium beijerinckii PS-3 using biochemical test and 16S rRNA gene analysis. Among various carbon sources tested, glucose, xylose, starch and cellulose were the preferred substrates for hydrogen production. The strain PS-3 could produce the maximum hydrogen yield of 140.9 ml H2/g total sugar and the cumulative hydrogen production of 1973  ml/L-oil palm sap. Therefore, C. beijerinckii PS-3 is a potential candidate for fermentative hydrogen production from mixed sugars of the oil palm sap.

► We used oil palm sap from core of old trunk to produce hydrogen.
► It contained glucose, xylose and arabinose.
► C. beijerinckii PS-3 was isolated from the sap.
► The strain produced 1.97 L H2/L-oil palm sap or 141 ml H2/g total sugar.
► The bacteria is a potent hydrogen producer using oil palm sap.