Australian researchers have discovered an enzyme that can convert air into energy. A study recently published in a prestigious journal Natureindicates that the enzyme uses a small amount of hydrogen in the air to generate an electric current. This breakthrough paves the way for the development of devices that can literally generate energy from the air. Discovery, Dr. Rhys Grinter, Ashley Kropp, Ph.D. It was made by a team of scientists led by Chris Greening, student and Professor at the Monash University Biomedical Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. The team developed and tested a hydrogen-consuming enzyme derived from a bacterium commonly found in soil.

The team’s latest work showed that many bacteria use atmospheric hydrogen as an energy source in nutrient-poor environments. “We’ve known for some time that bacteria can use residual hydrogen in the air as an energy source to help them grow and survive, particularly in Antarctic soils, volcanic craters and the deep ocean,” Professor Greening said. Said. “But until now we didn’t know how they did it.”

In this article Nature The researchers extracted the enzyme responsible for using atmospheric hydrogen from a bacterium called mycobacteria smegmatis. They showed that this enzyme, called huc, converts hydrogen gas into electric current.

Dr. “Huc is extremely effective. Unlike all other known enzymes and chemical catalysts, it even consumes hydrogen below atmospheric level – only 0.00005% of the air we breathe,” Grinter said.

Researchers have used several advanced techniques to unravel the molecular blueprint of hydrogen oxidation in the atmosphere. They used advanced microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine atomic structure and electrical pathways and pushed the boundaries to produce the clearest structure of the enzyme ever reported with this method. They also used a technique called electrochemistry to show that the purified enzyme produces electricity at minimal hydrogen concentrations.

Laboratory work led by Ms. Kropp shows that purified Huc can be stored for a long time.

“It’s surprisingly stable. You can freeze the enzyme or heat it to 80 degrees Celsius and it will retain its ability to produce energy,” said Kropp. “This shows that this enzyme helps bacteria survive in the most extreme conditions.”

The Huc is a “natural battery” that generates an electric current directly from air or added hydrogen. Although this research is in its early stages, Huc’s discovery has significant potential for the development of small air-powered devices such as an alternative to solar-powered devices.

Bacteria that produce enzymes such as Huc are common and can be grown in large quantities, meaning we have access to a sustainable source of enzymes. Dr. Grinter says the main goal of future work is to expand Huc production. “Once we produce enough Huc, the sky is literally the limit to using it to generate clean energy.”