Apr. 12, 2013 — New research fuels hope of
efficient hydrogen production with green algae being possible in the
future, despite the prevailing scepticism based on previous research.
The study changes the view on the potential of green algae – which is
good news. The world must find a way of producing fuel from renewable
energy sources to replace the fossil fuels. Hydrogen is today considered
one of the most promising fuels for the future and if hydrogen can be
produced directly from sunlight you have a renewable and environmentally
friendly energy source. One biological way of producing hydrogen from
solar energy is using photosynthetic microorganisms.
Photosynthesis splits water into hydrogen ions (H+) and electrons (e-). These can later be combined into hydrogen gas, (H2) with the use of special enzymes called hydrogenases. This occurs in cyanobacteria and green algae, which have the ability to use energy from the sun through photosynthesis and produce hydrogen through their own metabolism. That green algae can produce hydrogen under certain conditions has been known and studied for about 15 years, but low efficiency has been a problem
The discovery (how this metabolism works) gives us hope that it in the future will be possible to control the green algae so that the efficiency becomes significantly higher than it is today
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130415182430.htm
Photosynthesis splits water into hydrogen ions (H+) and electrons (e-). These can later be combined into hydrogen gas, (H2) with the use of special enzymes called hydrogenases. This occurs in cyanobacteria and green algae, which have the ability to use energy from the sun through photosynthesis and produce hydrogen through their own metabolism. That green algae can produce hydrogen under certain conditions has been known and studied for about 15 years, but low efficiency has been a problem
The discovery (how this metabolism works) gives us hope that it in the future will be possible to control the green algae so that the efficiency becomes significantly higher than it is today
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130415182430.htm
