Biological Production of Hydrogen: from Basic Principles to the Latest Advances in Process Improvement

The development of net-zero emission fuels is a priority area of modern research due to the imminent reduction of fossil fuel reserves and environmental problems caused by their combustion. One of the promising fuels is hydrogen, which has a high heat of combustion and is eco-friendly, forms water as the only byproduct. Recently, methods of hydrogen production by microorganisms, which use directly the solar energy or utilize the organic waste during fermentation, have been intensively developed and applied. In this review, the basic principles of the main light-dependent (biophotolysis, photofermentation) and light-independent (dark fermentation and microbial electrolysis) methods of biological hydrogen production are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the advantages and disadvantages of these methods, the possibility of combining them into a single system, as well as various strategies for improving biohydrogen production aimed at transition from laboratory research to full-scale application.