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Enzyme cocktail converts cellulosic materials, water into hydrogen fuelTomorrow's fuel-cell vehicles may be powered by enzymes that consume cellulose from woodchips or grass and exhale hydrogen. Researchers at Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Georgia have produced hydrogen gas pure enough to power a fuel cell by mixing 14 enzymes, one coenzyme, cellulosic materials from nonfood sources, and water heated to about 90 degrees (32 C). The researchers used cellulosic materials isolated from wood chips, but crop waste or switchgrass could also be used.
"If a small fraction – 2 or 3 percent – of yearly biomass production were used for sugar-to-hydrogen fuel cells for transportation, we could reach transportation fuel independence," Dr. Percival Zhang, assistant professor at the Biological Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, said. (He added that the 3 percent figure is for global transportation needs. The United States would actually need to convert about 10 percent of biomass – which would be 1.3 billion tons of usable biomass).
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