Fermentative hydrogen production by a novel strain of Enterococcus faecium INET2 isolated from Gamma irradiated sludge

摘要

Fermentative hydrogen production is mainly restricted by low hydrogen yields and low production rates for its further application. Hydrogen production through dark fermentation involves in the complex biological reactions, which are affected by many factors including the microorganisms, operational conditions and metabolites formation. Owing to the higher hydrogen production rate by pure cultures, lots of bacterial species were explored, including the most widely studied Clostridium sp., Enterobacter sp. and some other species [1]. Enterococcus faecium has been detected in many hydrogen production systems in which mixed cultures were used [2-4]. However, no study has been reported on the characteristics of hydrogen production by pure culture of Enterococcus faecium.