Comparison of two reactor concepts for anoxygenic H2 production by Rhodobacter capsulatus

In the contribution at hand two main concepts of photobioreactors are considered: the flat-panel reactor and the tubular reactor. Both reactors are investigated under outdoor conditions in Germany in the summer time for their applicability for H2 production by means of purple non-sulphur bacteria Rhodobacter capsulatus. The experiments are performed as fed batch. The performance of a photobioreactor is evaluated in terms of H2 productivity per IRS (illuminated reactor surface). It is demonstrated that both reactors could be operated stable for several weeks with comparable H2 productivities. The mean hydrogen productivity for the panel and the tubular reactor is 3690 ml H2/(mIRS2 d) and 3350 ml H2/(mIRS2 d) respectively. While approximately 8 m2 of the illuminated reactor surface of the panel reactor can be installed on 1 m2 of ground space, the relation of the illuminated reactor surface to the ground area for the tubular reactor is approximately 1–1.