Browsing by Author "Plunkett, Mary"

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    Optimization of Ammonium and Biohydrogen Production from Mutant Strains of Azotobacter vinelandii Deregulated for Nitrogen Fixation
    (2018-05) Plunkett, Mary
    The increase in demand for food and fuel as a result of an increasing population must be sustainable and renewable in the face of global climate change. Azotobacter vinelandii, an aerobic nitrogen fixing bacterium, has the potential to supplement or replace a major consumer of global energy, which is the production of ammonium (NH4+) for use in fertilizers. A requisite by-product of nitrogen fixation includes the production of hydrogen gas (H2), which can be used for many applications, including renewable hydrogen fuel cells. A. vinelandii produces both of these in a biochemical process which takes place at ambient temperatures and pressures using renewable carbon sources for energy. Within this research, improvement of the conditions needed for higher NH4+ and H2 production from a strain deregulated for the production of nitrogenase was explored and H2 output was characterized as a result of multiple genetic modifications and changes to culture conditions.