Hydrogen for transportation may have received a boost with the discovery of an enzyme cocktail that converts cellulosic materials and water into hydrogen fuel. A team of researchers from Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Georgia report in the journal ChemSusChem (Chemistry and Sustainability) that by mixing 14 enzymes, one co-enzyme, cellulosic materials isolated from wood chips and water heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, they produced hydrogen gas pure enough to power a fuel cell. Cellulosic material from crop waste or switchgrass could also be used, making this potential source of energy even more economically feasible, according to the research team led by Virginia Tech. ORNL's Barbara Evans and Jonathan Mielenz of the Chemical and Biosciences divisions, respectively, are co-authors of the paper. This work improves and extends to cellulose the concept for enzymatic production of hydrogen from glucose pioneered by ORNL and funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Research for this latest project was provided by Percival Zhang's (Virginia Tech) DuPont Young Professor Award and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Menu