Scientists discover enzyme that can turn air into energy, unlocking potential new energy source

[admin]

A relative of the tuberculosis bacterium has long been known to convert hydrogen from the air into electricity. Now, scientists have discovered how.

Scientists discover enzyme that can turn air into energy, unlocking potential new energy source : Read more

 

[Bluecloud]

"...turn air into energy"
I assume you mean elctricity as producing energy is tricky.

 

[Debed]

Why not make a better version than can convert co2 into energy.
it is all about stripping those electrodes anyway.

 

[Bluecloud]

Why not make a better version than can convert co2 into energy.
it is all about stripping those electrodes anyway.

Hydrogen is far more reactive than CO2, so good luck with that. The energy required to break down a molecule of CO2 is far greater than any you might get out of it. Consider the production of hydrogen from water. electrolysis is extremely energy intensive. What those clever little enzymes are doing is simply releasing electrons from hydrogen, which is quite easy.

 

[bolide2]

Maybe this is a naïve question, but--after the electrons get stripped from the H₂ molecules and sent on their way, what happens to the protons? Is an electrical circuit formed, in which electrons from ... somewhere else ... are conveyed to the protons?

 

[Staran]

This article has a strange way of describing hydrogen molecules. The description could also be interpreted as describing a helium isotope (2 He-2). It should say something like "Once H2 hydrogen molecules (hydrogen made up of one proton and one electron each, for two protons and two electrons total in the molecule) enter the active site"...

 

[Staran]

Maybe this is a naïve question, but--after the electrons get stripped from the H₂ molecules and sent on their way, what happens to the protons? Is an electrical circuit formed, in which electrons from ... somewhere else ... are conveyed to the protons?

Yes, because +2 charge ions do not remain charged for long, and grab electrons from other neutral or negatively charged atoms/molecules, setting up a chain of electron exchanges.

 

[Debed]

Hydrogen is far more reactive than CO2, so good luck with that. The energy required to break down a molecule of CO2 is far greater than any you might get out of it. Consider the production of hydrogen from water. electrolysis is extremely energy intensive. What those clever little enzymes are doing is simply releasing electrons from hydrogen, which is quite easy.

To mishandle a quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
It is not worth doing if it is not hard.

 

[Juan]

Hola interesante noticia, pero me imagino a la población mundial consumiendo H2, ¿conocemos las consecuencias? Porque no abocarse y darle prioridad a solucionar el tema del CO2 en el aire y su impacto, que ir introduciendo mas variables a un sistema tan frágil como es nuestro planeta. tal vez sea útil para aplicarlo a misiones espaciales. Saludos.

 

[bolide2]

Yes, because +2 charge ions do not remain charged for long, and grab electrons from other neutral or negatively charged atoms/molecules, setting up a chain of electron exchanges.

So presumably the H₂ would "grab electrons" from something like O₂, releasing the energy of oxidation and H₂O as its waste product.