Trails of green alga hydrogen research - from hans gaffron to new frontiers

This paper summarizes aspects of the history of photosynthetic hydrogen research, from the pioneering discovery of Hans Gaffron over 60 years ago to the potential exploitation of green algae in commercial H(2)-production. The trail started as a mere scientific curiosity, but promises to be a most important discovery, one that leads photosynthesis research to important commercial applications. Progress achieved in the field of photosynthetic hydrogen production by green algae includes elucidation of the mechanism, the ability to modify photosynthesis by physiological means and to produce bulk amounts of H(2) gas, and cloning of the [Fe]-hydrogenase genes in several green algal species.