Scientists to use biological enzymes as a source of hydrogen fuel

Researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of California have developed a new way of producing hydrogen fuel using biological enzymes. This new development will be a boon to fuel industries as it will play a huge role in the global push toward environmentally friendly energy sources.

Currently, hydrogen fuel is produced using complex industrial procedures that limit the attractiveness to the green fuel market and also cause pollution. In response, researchers were looking for a more sustainable way of producing hydrogen gas. That is when the scientists came up with an idea of using biological enzymes called hydrogenases to produce it.

Hydrogenaseis nature’s machinery which is used to make and burn hydrogen gas. These enzymes have two variants, iron-iron and nickel-iron named after the elements responsible for driving the chemical reactions. The new study focuses on the iron-iron variety as it works faster.

"The take-away from this study is that it is one thing to envision using the real enzyme to produce hydrogen gas, but it is far more powerful to understand its makeup well enough to able to reproduce it for use in the lab," Rauchfuss, a senior scientist from the University of California stated. This method will be most significant and eco-friendly to synthesize hydrogen fuel and will make a big impact on environment.