New Hydrogen Biofuel 'Nano-Reactor' Could Revolutionise Clean Energy

Scientists are continually pioneering new ways to slash carbon emissions, and while the majority of revelations amount to nothing, occasionally they discover an innovation that could revolutionise the way the world is powered. Earlier this month a team of researchers from Indiana University did just this. By concealing a modified enzyme inside a virus, the scientists were able to create a new breed of biomaterial with the capacity to efficiently catalyse the production of hydrogen. They refer to the technology as a ‘nano-reactor’ and assert that it could be the key to developing a more cost-effective and eco-friendly biofuel production process.

A stealthy approach

So how does it work? When hidden inside the protective protein shell of a virus (also known as a capsid) the efficiency of a hydrogen-producing enzyme is 150 times more productive than an unaltered counterpart. To create the modified enzyme researchers extracted two genes - hyaA and hyaB – from a common bacteria known as Escherichia coli. The pair was chosen as they encode key subunits of the hydrogenase enzyme. After being placed inside the capsid the modified enzyme ferments to produce a bacterial virus called bacteriophage P22.

Trevor Douglas, one of the head chemistry researchers at Indiana University explains, "Essentially, we've taken a virus's ability to self-assemble myriad genetic building blocks and incorporated a very fragile and sensitive enzyme with the remarkable property of taking in protons and spitting out hydrogen gas. The end result is a virus-like particle that behaves the same as a highly sophisticated material that catalyses the production of hydrogen."

A new era of energy

When produced on a mass scale the ‘nano-reactor’ could revolutionise the biofuel industry. It even has the potential to be incorporated into solar power systems.

"No one's ever had a way to create a large enough amount of this hydrogenase despite its incredible potential for biofuel production," said Douglas. "But now we've got a method to stabilize and produce high quantities of the material and enormous increases in efficiency."

Clean, green and cost effective, the ‘nano-reactor’ marks a huge step forward for biofuel technologies. For more insight into the cutting edge research within the renewable energy sector, ‘Biofuels and their Precursors – A Challenge for Common Elemental Analyzers’ is a must read article. It looks at the trials of biofuel production, and how innovative flame sensor technology can be used to create ideal digestion conditions for any organic sample matrix.

Image via Flickr Creative Commons. Photo credits: The Open University