Light Intensity is Important for Hydrogen Production in NaHSO3-Treated Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga that can use light energy to produce H2 from H2O in the background of NaHSO3 treatment. However, the role of light intensity in such H2 production remains elusive. Here, light intensity significantly affected the yield of H2 production in NaHSO3-treated C. reinhardtii, which was consistent with its effects on the content of O2 and the expression and activity of hydrogenase. Further, NaHSO3 was found to be able to remove O2 via a reaction of bisulfite with superoxide anion produced at the acceptor side of PSI, and light intensity affected the reaction rate significantly. Accordingly, high light and strong light but not low light can create an anaerobic environment, which is important to activate hydrogenase and produce H2. Based on the above results, we conclude that light intensity plays an important role in removing O2 and consequently activating hydrogenase and producing H2 in NaHSO3-treated C. reinhardtii.