• GENERAL
• HYDROGEN
• METHANE
• OIL

Frequently Asked Questions - Hydrogen

Q: How do green algae produce hydrogen?
A: The algae that we use in the Solar Bio-fuels consortium are single celled green algae (or microalgae).  They absorb sunlight and use the energy to split water into the components of hydrogen and oxygen.  We have varieties which release the H2 rather than storing it in the cell. In summary the algae use sunlight to extract hydrogen from water.

Q: How can it be used and who would use it?
A: To visualize what the final system might look like; imagine large sealed pond systems in which the algae grow.  They absorb the sunlight and produce H2 from water. The hydrogen can either be used as a fuel or to generate electricity that is fed into the national grid.

If you would like to see a video from the ABC's Catalyst science program giving a demonstration of this, then click here.