Community analysis of thermophilic hydrogen-producing consortia enriched from Thailand hot spring with mixed xylose and glucose

Sediment samples from hot spring were enriched for hydrogen-producing bacteria with xylose, glucose and mixed of both sugars at high temperature (60 °C). Enriched cultures encoded as PGR and YLT showed high cumulative hydrogen production in xylose–glucose mixed and xylose with hydrogen evolution of 1506 and 1487 mL H2/L-medium and hydrogen yields of 301.3 and 297.4 mL H2/g sugarconsumed, respectively. The enriched cultures coded PGR and YLT were produced acetate and butyrate as main soluble metabolites with high hydrogen production. PCR-DGGE profiling showed that the enriched cultures gave best hydrogen production from xylose–glucose mixed comprised of three groups of hydrogen-producing species, (A) relating to genus Bacillus sp. and Anoxybacillus sp., (B) relating to genus Caloramator sp. and Clostridium sp. and (C) relating to efficient hydrogen-producing species (Thermoanaerobacterium sp. and Caldicellulosiruptor sp.). These microbial consortia developed show promising to apply for biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic hydrolysate containing xylose–glucose mixed.