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Natural enzymes to produce low cost green hydrogen

New steps forward for water photoelectrolysis, this time in the direction of sustainability.

Natural enzymes to produce low cost green hydrogen

A cura di Monica e Tiziana Origgi e Barbara Conforti  New steps forward for water photoelectrolysis, this time in the direction of sustainability.

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A cura di Monica e Tiziana Origgi e Barbara Conforti 

New steps forward for water photoelectrolysis, this time in the direction of sustainability.

A group of chemists from Swansea University worked along with researchers from CEA Grenoble to develop a new catalytic approach to low-cost green hydrogen production. 

The key? Employing natural enzymes instead of expensive synthetic platinum-based catalysts. “We employ hydrogenases (a class of bacterial enzymes) to generate green hydrogen using sunlight. Unlike synthetic catalysts that are based on precious metals, hydrogenases contain only abundant elements such as iron and nickel.” explains Dr. Moritz Kuehnel, senior lecturer in the chemistry department at Swansea University.

In nature, these enzymes are employed by bacteria and algae to transform and thus make usable the chemical energy contained in hydrogen bonds. Their ability to catalyze reversible hydrogen oxidation has long attracted the attention of energy research, but making their use practical outside of microorganisms is a challenge. The main problem is that hydrogenases are very sensitive and tend to deactivate rapidly when exposed to air.

To overcome the obstacle, the team developed engineered solvents that allow hydrogenases to work in air. Putting the enzymes in these solvents instead of water can make them more active and stable, providing a new pathway for generating low-cost green hydrogen.

 

Fonte: Rinnovabili.it, tradotto in inglese da Monica e Tiziana Origgi e Barbara Conforti

 

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