What if bacteria could be used to create hydrogen biobatteries?
A paper published in Joule shows that these types of batteries could perhaps be used to store and release hydrogen.
Green hydrogen, which is produced from water with the help of renewable energies, is one of the carbon-neutral energy sources that could become an effective alternative to fossil fuels. However, transporting and storing this highly explosive gas is difficult, and researchers worldwide are looking for chemical and biological solutions.
A team of microbiologists from Goethe University Frankfurt has found an enzyme in bacteria that live in the absence of air and bind hydrogen directly to CO2, producing formic acid in the process. The process is completely reversible – a basic requirement for hydrogen storage.
These acetogenic bacteria are found in the deep sea and they feed on carbon dioxide, which they metabolise to formic acid with the aid of hydrogen. Usually, this acid is...