Abstract
Due to the depletion and increasing cost of fossil fuels, the production of cyanobacteria-based hydrogen as eco-friendly and renewable energy for the future seems promising. The paper describes the current state of research in the field of hydrogen yield by cyanobacteria. The use of cyanobacteria as potential producers of hydrogen is particularly relevant and beneficial as they form hydrogen from water as a result of solar energy conversion. However, production is a complex biotechnological process, and the main obstacle is the low ability of cyanobacteria to produce hydrogen. The prospects for the development of cyanobacterium-based hydrogen energy can be improved by a complex approach of increasing hydrogen productivity by cyanobacteria cells. First of all, it is the achievement of genetic engineering, the construction of genetic mutants of cyanobacteria with great potential in hydrogen production, followed by a correctly chosen metabolic approach to increase its yield and the development of innovative methods of their cultivation. Thus, the widespread adoption of this technology requires additional R&D with large investments.
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•Critically reviews the cyanobacterial hydrogen production.•Bioprocesses of hydrogen formation by cyanobacterial cells.•Genetic and metabolic engineering approaches towards H2 production from cyanobacteria.•Recent technological progress towards cyanobacteria-based hydrogen production.