(News) Clean Hydrogen Fuel Gets IIT Boost
Clean
Hydrogen Fuel Gets IIT Boost
A
Team of researchers in the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur has
claimed of making a significant breakthrough in isolating a hydrogen-producing
bacterial strain that produces 40 per cent more hydrogen than other bacterial
strains.
The
development is considered to be significant in the production of hydrogen gas,
an efficient and clean fuel.
According
to Prof Debatrata Das, who is heading the research team, Enterobacter
cloacae can produce about 3.85 moles of hydrogen from one mole of the substrate,
which is very close to the theoretical limit of 4 moles of hydrogen during
anaerobic fermentation.
Since
past few years, the biotechnology department of the IIT has been involved
in the various aspects of synthetic hydrogen gas research, which is also
currently pursued in different foreign universities. The researches have even
used sewage sludge as substrate for the bacteria and have found similar results.
This is considered vital, as it will help in energy generation as well as
disposal of waste, feel the researchers.
An
800-litre plant for generating fuel has already been set up at the institute
this year as part of a pilot project.
“We
have also carried out research on photo fermentation, and it is also giving
results as high as 12 moles of hydrogen from one mole of reactants,” said Das.
“Present research work aims at making the process economically viable,” he
added.
Several
organizations like the ONGC and some private companies have approached
the IIT to develop a pilot project for large-scale industrial and
commercial production of synthetic hydrogen from bacteria.
Courtesy:expressindia.com
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