Just about everyone who's been through High School Chemistry knows that hydrogen packs a lot of energy. One of the limitations to hydrogen as a fuel source is the cost of production. The article below is about an encouraging development that could significantly lower the cost of hydrogen production so that it is an economical fuel. About one Kilogram of hydrogen packs the same energy as a gallon of gasoline. It burns extremely cleanly.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Hydrogen from Algae
Genetically modified algae could be efficient producers of hydrogen and biofuels.
By Prachi Patel-Predd
Algae are a promising source of biofuels: besides being easy to grow and handle, some varieties are rich in oil similar to that produced by soybeans. Algae also produce another fuel: hydrogen. They make a small amount of hydrogen naturally during photosynthesis, but Anastasios Melis, a plant- and microbial-biology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, believes that genetically engineered versions of the tiny green organisms have a good shot at being a viable source for hydrogen.
Melis has created mutant algae that make better use of sunlight than their natural cousins do. This could increase the hydrogen that the algae produce by a factor of three. It would also boost the algae's production of oil for biofuels.
The new finding will be important in maximizing...(complete article here).
The article indicates the researchers are about 5 years away from having a commercially applicable process, but it is definitely promising.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment