Palscience

A researcher team form the University of Sheffield led by Dr Guido Sanguinetti, said that they one step closer to generate fuel from bacteria. Humans and any other living creatures, go through a complex sequence of chemical reactions that transforms nutrients into energy and waste. Yes its metabolism, bacteria also support themselves through their metabolism. Using a mathematical computer models, the Sheffield team have mapped the metabolism of a type of bacteria called Nostoc.

But how could we use the bacteria’s metabolism to produce future fuel? The process involves nitrogen fixation (a process in which nitrogen is extracted from its nature, relatively inert molecular from N2 in the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds such as ammonia, nitrate and nitrogen dioxide), when bacteria go through that sophisticated process, it releases hydrogen that can then potentially be used as fuel.

Dr Guido Sanguinetti, from the University’s Department of Computer Science, who led the study, said: “The research uncovered a previously unknown link between the energy machinery of the Nostoc bacterium and its core nitrogen metabolism. Further investigation of this pathway might lead to understanding and improvement of the hydrogen production mechanism of these bacteria. It will certainly be some time before a pool of bacteria powers your car, but this research is yet another small step towards sustainable fuels.”
He added: “The next step for us will be further investigation into hydrogen production, as well as constructing more mathematical models capable of integrating various sources of biological data.”

Resources - Science Daily - EurekAlert