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Please read below:
Simply put (from scientificblogging.com):
"Traditional fuel cells generally use platinum to catalyze the reactions. The precious metal is scarce and toxic, making it expensive and hardly eco-friendly. The enzymes in bio-fuel cells are ubiquitous, found in plants and micro-organisms. They are pretty much infinitely renewable and completely biodegradable. They effectively make biological batteries that never run out as long as there is some hydrogen around. And whatâs more, the hydrogen stream does not have to be pure, as it does for chemical catalysts. The enzymes simply pick and choose the hydrogen atoms from a smorgasbord of gases that would render the traditional fuel cell utterly impotent."
Or, from BNet (edited down here, but check out what I bolded):
Is your phone out of juice? Biological fuel cell turns drinks into power
Science News , March 31, 2007 by D. Castelvecchi
Using enzymes commonly found in living cells, a new type of fuel cell produces small amounts of electricity from sugar. If the technology becomes viable for mass production, a few drops of your favorite soft drink will be all you need to recharge your cell phone.
In fuel cells, chemical reactions generate electrical currents. The process usually relies on precious metals, such as platinum, acting as catalysts. In living cells, enzymes perform a similar job, breaking down sugars to extract electrons and produce energy.
"The elimination of noble metals is saving cost, but [using enzymes] also widens the range of fuels that can be used," says Paul Kenis, a chemical engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Enzymatic fuel cells developed by other research groups typically run on more conventional fuels, such as ethanol. Direct use of sugars as fuel would be more energy efficient than fermenting corn, sugarcane, or other crops to turn their sugars into ethanol, Minteer says.
Another potential advantage of biological fuel cells--compared to ordinary fuel cells or batteries--is that they might become a mass-produced power source that's completely biodegradable, Minteer says.
It could take as little as 3 years to bring the technology into consumer products, Minteer predicts. The U.S. Department of Defense, which is funding the research, is also interested in using sugar as a densely packed energy source on the battlefield.
Klotzbach presented the current work this week at the American Chemical Society meeting in Chicago.
Please read below:
Simply put (from scientificblogging.com):
"Traditional fuel cells generally use platinum to catalyze the reactions. The precious metal is scarce and toxic, making it expensive and hardly eco-friendly. The enzymes in bio-fuel cells are ubiquitous, found in plants and micro-organisms. They are pretty much infinitely renewable and completely biodegradable. They effectively make biological batteries that never run out as long as there is some hydrogen around. And whatâs more, the hydrogen stream does not have to be pure, as it does for chemical catalysts. The enzymes simply pick and choose the hydrogen atoms from a smorgasbord of gases that would render the traditional fuel cell utterly impotent."
Or, from BNet (edited down here, but check out what I bolded):
Is your phone out of juice? Biological fuel cell turns drinks into power
Science News , March 31, 2007 by D. Castelvecchi
Using enzymes commonly found in living cells, a new type of fuel cell produces small amounts of electricity from sugar. If the technology becomes viable for mass production, a few drops of your favorite soft drink will be all you need to recharge your cell phone.
In fuel cells, chemical reactions generate electrical currents. The process usually relies on precious metals, such as platinum, acting as catalysts. In living cells, enzymes perform a similar job, breaking down sugars to extract electrons and produce energy.
"The elimination of noble metals is saving cost, but [using enzymes] also widens the range of fuels that can be used," says Paul Kenis, a chemical engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Enzymatic fuel cells developed by other research groups typically run on more conventional fuels, such as ethanol. Direct use of sugars as fuel would be more energy efficient than fermenting corn, sugarcane, or other crops to turn their sugars into ethanol, Minteer says.
Another potential advantage of biological fuel cells--compared to ordinary fuel cells or batteries--is that they might become a mass-produced power source that's completely biodegradable, Minteer says.
It could take as little as 3 years to bring the technology into consumer products, Minteer predicts. The U.S. Department of Defense, which is funding the research, is also interested in using sugar as a densely packed energy source on the battlefield.
Klotzbach presented the current work this week at the American Chemical Society meeting in Chicago.
