Limitless energy? Scientists discover enzyme to make electricity out of thin air

In what may come as a huge breakthrough in sustainable energy development, a team of researchers at the Monash University in Melbourne have found a way to generate limitless electricity out of thin air. The scientists discovered a hydrogen-consuming enzyme from a common soil bacterium that uses the atmosphere as an energy source to generate electrical current.

Led by Monash’s Dr Rhys Grinter, PhD student Ashleigh Kropp, and Professor Chris Greening, from the Biomedicine Discovery Institute, the research findings were published in the new edition of the journal Nature.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Hydrogen gas scavenger

The enzyme discovered is called Huc (pronounced “Huck”) and is made by Mycobacterium smegmatis bacteria, allowing it to survive in harsh conditions.

“We’ve known for some time that bacteria can use the trace hydrogen in the air as a source of energy to help them grow and survive, including in Antarctic soils, volcanic craters, and deep in the ocean," said Professor Rhys Grinter.

Huc acts as a hydrogen gas scavenger, devouring the gas below atmospheric levels to produce its magic.

“Huc is extremely effective. Unlike all other known enzymes and chemical catalysts, it uses hydrogen at amounts below atmospheric levels – as little as 0.00005 per cent of the air we breathe," added Grinter.

Notably,Mycobacterium smegmatis was discovered in 1985 by SigmundLustgarten, an Austrian doctor who was looking into skin diseases. The particular bacterium resides in the soil and is relatively unharmful - not causing any disease. It has been well-studied due to its use as a modelfor organismfor tuberculosis.

Grinter explained that to separate Huc fromM. smegmatis, they had to develop a series of new methods, which included growing the bacteria from scratch and later breaking them open and using chemistry to isolate the single component.

ALSO READ | South Korean scientists create an 'artificial sun' in pursuit of unlimited clean energy

What next for Huc?

The scientists added that Huc can be stored for long periods without losing its ability to generate electricity. During the experiments, it was flash-frozen in liquid N2 and stored at −80 degrees Celsius with purification yielding 10–20 micrograms of the Huc complex.

Getting down to the brass tacks, the scientists said the early applications of Huc include powering small air-powered devices which could act as an alternative to solar-powered devices.

The next step involved is to scale up the production so that Huc can be produced in sufficient quantities to be used at a meaningful scale.

“Once we produce Huc in sufficient quantities, the sky is quite literally the limit for using it to produce clean energy," said Grinter.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: