Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are working to chemically manipulate algae for production of the next generation of renewable fuels - hydrogen gas. Some varieties of algae contain an enzyme called hydrogenase that can create small amounts of hydrogen gas. Many believe this is used by nature as a way to get rid of excess reducing equivalents that are produced under high light conditions, but there is little benefit to the plant.
Senior chemist David Tiede and his group are trying to find a way to take the part of the enzyme that creates the gas and introduce it into the photosynthesis process. The result would be a large amount of hydrogen gas, possibly on par with the amount of oxygen created. "What we would like to do is take that catalyst out of hydrogenase and put it into the photosynthetic protein framework," Tiede said.
Right now, ethanol is being produced from corn, but generating ethanol from corn is a thermodynamically less efficient process. Algae can be grown in a closed system almost anywhere, including deserts or even rooftops, and there is no competition for food or fertile soil. Algae is also easier to harvest because it has no roots or fruit and grows dispersed in water.
