This research opens the door to a potential new energy source. However, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. It is too early to talk about the appearance of the first devices based on this technology.

How does it work

Researchers discovered a special enzyme that converts hydrogen into electricity. It was called huc and was used by the bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis to extract energy from the hydrogen it drew directly from the air. This process allows it to survive in extreme, nutrient-poor environments.

The researchers now say that after isolating and studying the enzyme at the molecular level, they have discovered a new energy source. can be used to power a range of small portable electrical appliances. They have already published their results in the journal Nature.

We hypothesize that Huc’s included energy source can power a range of small, portable devices that use air, including biometric sensors, environmental monitors, digital clocks, calculators or simple computers.
— says lead author of the study, Rhys Grinter, a microbiologist at Monash University in Australia.

At normal hydrogen concentrations in air, the energy production is too small to be noticed. However, if more concentrated hydrogen is supplied to the Huc, the bacterium produces more electricity. This means that the process can be scaled up and used in fuel cells to power smart watches or more complex devices like smartphones, laptops and possibly even cars.

• M. smegmatis is a fast-growing, non-pathogenic bacterium that is frequently used in the laboratory to study the cell wall structure of its close pathogenic relative, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• M. smegmatis is found in soils all over the world, so access to it should not be a problem. The microbe can survive in the harshest environments, including Antarctic soils, volcanic craters, and deep oceans where there is little other fuel.