Genetic Modification Gives Major Boost to Algal Hydrogen Production
Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have performed an experiment to modify algae so that it can be used to mass-produce hydrogen on an industrial scale.
Although algae can produce hydrogen using photosynthesis, it was believed that this only occurred
for a few minutes at dawn, resulting in limited amounts of the gas. But tests by a team led by Dr. Iftach Yacoby, the head of TAU’s renewable energy laboratory, have revealed that algae actually produces hydrogen throughout the day.
Further tests revealed that the enzyme hydrogenase, which breaks down in the presence of oxygen, was integral to algae’s hydrogen production. Through genetic modification the team was able to remove the oxygen so the hydrogenase is able to keep producing hydrogen, resulting in a boost in hydrogen production o
f 400 percent.
