“Quad Goals” Met Through Microbial Energy – A Natural Battery
Image Source: B. Nottingham/InnovateNOW
By Alison Nottingham [4 minute read]
Our future is facing a crippling energy crisis and a global transition to clean energy is necessary for a sustainable road forward. The Inflation Reduction Act signed last summer, committing $370 billion dollars to the electricity sector, provides a great investment toward a target of 80% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035. However, a transition to even a partially guaranteed success in meeting energy needs will pose many challenges over the next decade. Non-obvious solutions will be needed to achieve this stretch goal. And we can all agree, with more smart devices and electric vehicles on the horizon, our need for energy is going to continue to increase in demand.
One recent discovery sounds more like a futuristic energy concept rather than a technology opportunity.
/// What is it?///
Microbial Energy Technology
A highly sensitive and newly discovered enzyme, recently found in dirt, named Huc (pronounced Huck) has been pinpointed as the fundamental key to turning hydrogen gas into electricity. Some researchers are calling Huc a “hydrogen gas scavenger.”
Essentially, this bacterial enzyme has the genetic blueprint to convert the air we breathe directly into energy. Our future energy systems need to be flexible and adaptable, with a readily available supply source, which could very well point to hydrogen in the air as a solution. Although scientists have known the what of this Huc bacterial biochemistry for quite some time, a recent Nature publication explains the how of the biochemical mechanisms.
(Image Source: Ashleigh Kropp and Rhys Grinter in the Grinter Lab at Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Photo/ Monash Lens)
Small But Mighty
Currently, Huc in laboratories is produced in milligram quantities at a time. So, with limited and minuscule amounts available, Huc potentially could only power small devices and appliances, such as mobile phones and tablets. At a smaller size, imagine this natural energy source replacing common alkaline or even lithium batteries. Both battery types have a high composition of non-renewable materials combined with a low recycling rate by consumers. Huc is also a stable enzyme and can be frozen or heated and still maintain its ability to generate electricity.
AI-Powered Quad Goals
In theory, the more concentrated the hydrogen, the more electricity, which is required for larger appliances, such as refrigerators or even electric vehicles. As discussed in the previous InnovateNow publication, enzymes are a specific type of protein that performs a specific and detailed function. The modern biology of AI-generated proteins could potentially predict the protein structure of the Huc enzyme in milliseconds, to speed up the production of electricity on a mass scale. This could be helpful because, as of 2021, 79% of total U.S. energy production (measured in quads) was still coming from fossil fuels. These statistics indicate we have quite a path ahead as we track our carbon-free energy progress. Huc production could indicate that the average individual would receive a cheaper, natural energy source that would readily be available in our air.
As the lead author of the Nature article, Rhys Grinter, stated “Once we produce Huc in sufficient quantities, the sky is quite literally the limit for using it to produce clean energy.”
About the Author: Alison Nottingham is the EVP of InnovateNOW, LLC and a Partner of Nottingham Unlimited Ventures. She has a Masters in Science and has previously worked for The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Cardiovascular Medicine.