Bacterial Strains for Hydrogen Production

Introduction Hydrogen biofuel has the potential to solve a variety of challenges related to the global need for a clean and sustainable form of energy. Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of domestic resources including: fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal; renewable resources such as solar, wind, and biomass; or nuclear energy. The current challenge, however, is to develop technologies for hydrogen production from these resources that are clean, efficient, and cost effective. Technology description UW researchers have developed a strategy to identify microbe strains, either naturally occurring or mutant forms, which have uncoupled hydrogen production from nitrogen fixation. This makes hydrogen production metabolically advantageous to the growth and survival of the organisms, and provides a means to develop a commercially efficient biocatalyst for hydrogen production. Additionally, these strains can use wastewater as a carbon source. Business opportunity This technology will be of interest to companies seeking to produce hydrogen biologically. Additionally, companies (particularly paper mills) seeking to improve their sustainability could use this technology to harvest energy from their waste streams. Stage of development Research in this area is ongoing. Intellectual property position The University of Washington has filed a provisional patent on this technology.

Type of Offer: Licensing



« More Energy Patents

---