"How many bacteria do you need to turn on a lightbulb?"
Top use for hydrogen right now:
- fertilizer
- extracting fossil fuels
Energy
- Make efficient to the point that industry would be interested
- Hydrogen fuel cell electricity plant? Fuel cell cars?
- Hydrogen industry still emerging, but rapidly – hydrogen projected to enter market as fuel by 2020
Hydrogen production right now:
- breakdown natural gas
Lowering the pH:
- Adding gene that allows for the breakdown of molecules that change the pH
- ^breakdown of fatty acids is what we want
Original Paper:
Virginia Tech Corn Husk Guy:
Transform with gene for cellulase: waste disposal --> energy generation (don't have to buy glucose; use cellulose from waste biomaterial)