H2 production by mixed cultures.

Production of H2 from glucose by an anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium (Rhodobacter sphaeroides), a cyanobacterium (Synechococcus cedrorum) and a heterotrophic bacterium (Pseudomonas fluorescens) was tested individually and in mixed cultures of various combinations in light. H2 production was maximal with a mixed culture of R. sphaeroides and P. fluorescens, which could be further enhanced by immobilization of the bacteria in alginate gel. Inhibition of H2 photoproduction was observed in a mixture of S. cedrorum and P. fluorescens and a co-culture of all the three organisms.