Pond Scum

#1 · July 31, 2000, 9:42 am

Posted by: <@...>

Scientists have harnessed the power of pond scum to produce pure
hydrogen. This discovery may someday be a cheap way to provide
clean-burning hydrogen to replace smog-producing fossil fuels. True or
false?

True! Background: While plants ordinarily produce oxygen,
researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have discovered
that green algae, known as pond scum, can produce hydrogen if it is
deprived of sulfur and oxygen. With further refinement, researchers
propose that this method could provide a viable source of hydrogen fuel
and an alternative to fossil fuels.