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Enzymes are much too unstable and expensive to ever make sense in electricity production, especially when compared to inorganic solutions like PV. The other wa
by congoe 3y ago
Enzymes are much too unstable and expensive to ever make sense in electricity production, especially when compared to inorganic solutions like PV.
The other way around is more sensible though, using electricity to produce hydrogen (Enzymatic electrolysis cells, EFCs), for example from distillery wastewater.
- gmt2027 3y agoIf the enzyme is produced by genetically altered microbes like bacteria or yeast, wouldn't that make it practically useful on some scale?
- messe 3y agoNot necessarily. Where do they get the energy to produce that enzyme? Is it more efficient than having them convert sugars to alcohol and burning it?
- congoe 3y agoYes, that drives cost down but even on the biggest scale, like insulin, enzymes are still orders of magnitude more expensive than inorganic catalysts (e.g. platinum for hydrogen fuel cells)
- burnished 3y agoWhy one way but not the other - just that pouring power onto the grid requires cooperation but producing hydrogen doesn't, or is there something more fundamental at play?
- congoe 3y agoThe fundamental principle would be that enzymes have an comparative advantage when utilising and producing complex organic molecules as fuel for hydrogen production (such as glucose in wastewater) while inorganic catalysts are cheaper, more stable but limited to simple reactions
- burnished 3y agoThank you!