Manufacturer of green and cheap hydrogen

2011/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Mikrobiologia
• Energia

Researchers at the University of Washington discover a manufacturer of own hydrogen: Cyanothece 51142 cyanobacteria. This bacterium was identified in 1993 on the coast of Texas. In subsequent research, they have found that during the day and night they have different cycles: photosynthesis is done during the day, while at night it takes nitrogen from the air to form ammonia and releases hydrogen as a side product. But the most interesting thing is not that, but the night cycle can also be done with oxygen.

In fact, the hydrogen producing microorganisms known so far could only produce this substance in an oxygen-free environment, which was the large-scale process. In addition, researchers have managed to change the circadian cycle of the bacterium Cyanothece 51142 to produce even more hydrogen.