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Tennessee - algae into hydrogen
Production, Nov 24 2009 (The Hydrogen Journal)
- Researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are developing ways to generate hydrogen from algae, using photosynthesis, taking energy from the sun.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is also involved. The team is led by Barry Bruce, professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at UT Knoxville.
The researchers found a type of algae which could produce a steady stream of hydrogen when exposed to light, with a platinum catalyst.
Mr Bruce notes that all fossil fuels were originally developed by photosynthesis (turning solar power into plants) - so this method is just speeding up the process.
Until now, scientists have developed algae that could produce hydrogen, but would not work efficiently at higher temperatures which would occur in a system designed to capture sunlight.
However Mr Bruce's team found that they could do it with thermophilic blue green algae, which is normally found in warmer waters. The reaction can work at 55 degrees C.
They also found that the temperature was 10 times more efficient as temperature increased.
