The
Power of Pond ScumThe
Power of Pond Scum
As we spend our efforts trying to rid our ponds of algae others are trying to grow it! Two months ago the American Association for the Advancement of Science at their meeting in Washington DC unveiled efforts to use this natural and abundant resource as a source for pure hydrogen.
Hydrogen is an ecologically-safe fuel that has the ability to continually renew itself. It powers “fuel cells” a battery of sorts that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity - a battery many believe will be the power of the future. The by-product of fuel cells is clean water, not carbon monoxide pollutants.
It’s never been easy to obtain pure hydrogen. Most of it comes from natural gas or from breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen. This is where algae becomes a hero.
Scientists have found that when they starve algae of sulfur the algae switches from photosynthesis to hydrogenase mode. During photosynthesis (when sunlight hits them) plants give off oxygen. In hydrogenase mode, plants give off hydrogen. During this process the algae start to eat their own protein so the scientists found that by allowing them to go back to photosynthesis mode for a while the plant rejuvenates and can continue switching cycles without dying. This can virtually go on forever.
Tasios Melis of University of California Berkeley told a news conference he estimated that a small pond full of algae could produce enough hydrogen to operate a dozen cars a week. He went as far to say that perhaps the algae could be fed sewage thus solving two pollution problems at once.
From The Fish Health Edition
of What's Up, Doc?, April, 2000
© Copyright 2000, The Pond Doc's Water Garden Center. All rights
Reserved. Reproduction of this article prohibited without prior consent of
The Pond Doc.
© copyright 1997 - 2012 by PondDoc.com. All Rights Reserved.
