Hydrogen made by enzyme is faster and cheaper

Scientists have shown how an enzyme from a microbe can produce hydrogen from water more quickly and cheaply.

"This nickel-based catalyst is really very fast," said co-author Morris Bullock of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state in the US. 

The new research published in Science takes us a step closer to this vision by avoiding the use of rare and costly chemicals to extract it from water.


Although it is fast, at present the process uses up too much electrical energy to be viable for real-world applications.

However, the authors note that "these results highlight the substantial promise molecular catalysts hold for the production of hydrogen".

BBC News - Hydrogen made by enzyme is faster and cheaper