Joint BioEnergy Institute Engineers Bacteria that Can Use Hydrogen Gas for Energy

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley have engineered bacteria that can use hydrogen gas for energy – freeing up valuable sugar feedstocks to produce renewable fuels and chemicals more efficiently.

Traditionally, microbes that are used to make biofuels consume large amounts of sugar both as a raw material and as an energy source, limiting efficiency and driving up costs. The new approach allows bacteria to "eat" hydrogen gas instead, powering their metabolism without wasting sugar.

Because hydrogen gas provides roughly three times more cellular energy per dollar than sugar, this strategy could dramatically lower production costs for biofuels, bioplastics, and other biomanufactured products – helping them compete with petroleum-derived alternatives.

"For decades, we've made biofuels the way a car factory would if it burned half its car parts just to power the assembly line." said Bertrand, a post-doctoral fellow at the Joint BioEnergy Institute. "By instead teaching bacteria to use hydrogen gas for energy, we can stop that waste and make renewable production far more efficient".