Enzyme-based biological fuel cell is built
TMCnet - World's Largest Communications and Technology Community
New Coverage :  Asterisk  |  Call Recording  |  SIP Trunking  |  Fax Software  |  Load Balancer  |  PBX  |  SIP Phones  |  Small Cells
Webinars
Channels by Topic
Share
 
| More
RSS-XML alerts
Print this page
E-mail this page to a friend
TMCnews
[April 18, 2006]

Enzyme-based biological fuel cell is built

(UPI Science News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Oxford University scientists have built an enzyme based biological fuel cell that takes oxygen and hydrogen from an atmosphere to power electrical devices.

The enzymes used are isolated from naturally occurring bacteria that have evolved to use hydrogen in their metabolic process. The unique features of the enzymes are that they are highly selective and tolerant of gases that poison traditional fuel cell catalysts, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide.


Since the enzymes can be grown, they represent a cheap and renewable alternative to the expensive platinum based catalysts used by others in hydrogen fuel cells, the researchers said.

The device built by a team headed by chemistry Professor Fraser Armstrong has a fuel cell consisting of two electrodes coated with the enzymes. They are in a small glass tank containing normal air with a few percent of added hydrogen.


Since the catalysts are selective and tolerant the gases can be mixed avoiding the need for an expensive fuel separation membrane.

Armstrong says the development has broad applications as a robust fuel cell for many utility applications where cost is a major issue, clean fuel sources cannot be guaranteed, and instant power is required.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]

Bookmark mobile.TMCnet.com on your mobile phone now to stay on top of the latest tech news.
Featured White Papers
Featured White Paper RSS feed
Human Capital Asset Management and Workforce Optimization
Mobile Bill Shock: Leveraging FCCRegulations to Enhance the Subscriber Experience and Create Stronger Subscriber Loyalty
WiMAX Business Deployment Guide: Portability, not mobility, may be what makes WiMAX an attractive option for your current business broadband needs
view all white papers…
Top Stories
Today's TMCnet Top Stories and News Articles
Voice2Phone Looks to Bring Third Party Vendors into the Fold
As Video, Content and Communications Ecosystems are Challenged, Lawsui…
Twelect App Keeps Users Updated on 2012 Presidential Election
VoIPdito & VoIP Innovations Bring E911 Emergency Service to the …
Too Much Information is Overwhelming Doctors, Hospitals
more of today's top stories...
Related VoIP News
Latest IP Communitions and VoIP News
TMCnet VoIP Routers Week in Review
TMCnet Next Generation Communications Week in Review
Alcatel's AppGlide Provides Holistic View of the End-user Online Video Experience
Tekelec Adds Ten More DSR Clients
Alcatel-Lucent Goes on Tour
blog comments powered by Disqus

Upcoming Events

ITEXPO West 2012
October 2- 5, 2012
The Austin Convention Center
Austin, Texas
Mobility Tech Conference & Expo
October 3- 5, 2012
The Austin Convention Center
Austin, Texas
MSPAlliance MSPWorld™
October 3- 5, 2012
The Austin Convention Center
Austin, Texas

DevCon5
DevCon5 provides you with the information and tools you need to exploit the capabilities of revolutionary HTML5 technology
View all >>
Subscribe FREE to all of TMC's monthly magazines. Click here now.