For
most people, the name E coli is synonymous with food poisoning, but a
professor in Texas A&M University’s chemical engineering department
envisions the bacteria as a future source of energy, helping to power
our cars, homes and more.
By genetically modifying the bacteria,
Professor Thomas Wood has “tweaked” a strain of E coli so that it
produces substantial amounts of hydrogen.
Specifically, Wood’s
strain produces 140 times more hydrogen than is created in a naturally
occurring process, according to an article in Microbial Biotechnology,
detailing his research.
Though Wood acknowledges that there is
still much work to be done before his research translates into any kind
of commercial application, his initial success could prove to be a
significant stepping stone on the path to a hydrogen-based world
economy.
Renewable, clean and efficient, hydrogen is the key
ingredient in fuel-cell technology, which has the potential to power
everything from portable electronics to automobiles and even entire
power plants.
By selectively deleting six specific genes in E
coli’s DNA, the US-based professor has basically transformed the
bacterium into a mini hydrogen-producing factory that’s powered by
sugar.
Scientifically speaking, Wood has enhanced the bacteria’s naturally occurring
glucose-conversion process on a massive scale.
“These
bacteria have 5,000 genes that enable them to survive environmental
changes,” Wood explained. “When we knock things out, the bacteria
become less competitive and less harmful because of what’s been
removed.”
With sugar as its main power source, this strain of E
coli can now take advantage of existing and ever-expanding scientific
processes aimed at producing sugar from certain crops, such as corn,
Wood said.
“We want to take that sugar and make it into
hydrogen,” he said. “We’re going to get sugar from some crop somewhere.
We’re going to get some form of sugar-like molecule and use the
bacteria to convert that into hydrogen.”
Biological methods such
as this are likely to reduce energy costs since these processes don’t
require extensive heating or electricity, Wood said.
“One of the most difficult things about chemical engineering is how you get the
product,” Wood explained.
“In
this case, it’s very easy because hydrogen is a gas, and it just
bubbles out of the solution. You just catch the gas as it comes out of
the glass. That’s it. You have pure hydrogen.”
Of course, all of
this is down the road. Right now, Wood remains busy in the lab, working
on refining a process that has already hinted at its incredible
potential. The goal, he said, is to continue to get more out of less.
“Take
your house, for example,” Wood said.. “The size of the reactor that we’d
need today if we implemented this technology would be less than the
size of a 1,000 litre fuel tank.
But right now, you or a
machine would have to shovel in about the weight of a man every day so
that the reactor could provide enough hydrogen to take care of the
average home for a 24-hour period.
“We’re trying to make bacteria so it’s doesn’t require 80 kilograms of sugar
source; it will be closer to 8 kilograms.”
Professor
Thomas Wood has genetically modified the E coli bacteria (far left) so
that it produces substantial amounts of hydrogen, which has the
potential to power everything from portable electronics to even entire
power plants
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