Reports streaming in tells us of hydrogen production sourcing from the photosynthesis of green algae. The process' paper, sourced from the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, explains that modifications to photosynthesis for unicellular algae could supply a healthy amount of hydrogen gas.

However, Anastasios Melis, the author of the paper, wrote that certain biological problems have to be overcome to keep a sustained production of hydrogen through photosynthetic means. The Melis Lab was able to develop more efficient solar conversion cell strains, which addressed the requirement to maximize efficiency in mass culture conditions.

Two types of unicellular microalga were used: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Botryococcus braunii. The first was exploited, through genetic manipulation, to efficiently convert hydrogen from sunlight. Though the project dubbed as the "Oleomics Project", hopes to do more in terms of yield and added continuity for hydrogen production.

So far, the project still requires at least five more years of continuous development and research, before it could be sufficient for bioreactor use. Researchers found that while the algae does produce hydrogen in good amounts through transparent bottles, bioreactors making use of solid tanks would only have the top surface exposed to sunlight.

This, plus a slew of other concerns over chlorophyll and the deprivation of sulfur to produce more hydrogen, still requires some thought and study before commercial implementation. Preliminary details, plus an executive summary can be viewed via the Read link below.