Friday, November 29, 2019

New study looks to biological enzymes as source of hydrogen fuel



Links:
Article : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191125120936.htm
Related Article: https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1163900/biological-enzymes-as-source-of-hydrogen-fuel.html

Biological enzymes, called hydrogenases, are nature's machinery for making and burning hydrogen gas. These enzymes come in two varieties, iron-iron and nickel-iron -- named for the elements responsible for driving the chemical reactions. The new study focuses on the iron-iron variety because it does the job faster, the researchers said.

Research from the University of Illinois and the University of California, Davis has chemists one step closer to recreating nature's most efficient machinery for generating hydrogen gas. This new development may help clear the path for the hydrogen fuel industry to move into a larger role in the global push toward more environmentally friendly energy sources.


This was an interesting article to read. Currently, hydrogen gas is produced using a very complex industrial process that limits its attractiveness to the green fuel market, the researchers said. In response, scientists are looking toward biologically synthesized hydrogen, which is far more efficient than the current human-made process, said chemistry professor and study co-author Thomas Rauchfuss.

2 comments:

  1. I hope the research goes well. We can always use more renewable/unfriendly fuel sources.

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  2. I think this development is amazing. I feels like humanity is one step closer to sustainable energy. Maybe someday we will see hydrogen fueled cars and planes.

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