Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
PLoS ONE
Publication Date
Volume
5
Issue
5
Abstract
A novel enzymatic reaction was conducted for producing hydrogen from starch and water at 30oC. The overall reaction comprised of 13 enzymes, 1 cofactor (NADP+), and phosphate was driven by energy stored in carbohydrate starch according to the overall stoichiometry stoichiometric reaction of C6H10O5 (l) + 7 H2O (l) --> 12 H2 (g) + 6 CO2 (g). It is spontaneous and unidirectional because of negative Gibbs free energy and the removal of gaseous products from the aqueous reaction solution. With technology improvement and integration with fuel cells, this technology would be suitable for mobile applications and also solve the challenges associated with hydrogen storage, distribution, and infrastructure in a hydrogen economy.
