hydrogeeni

Hydrogeeni is a term used in speculative and interdisciplinary energy research to describe a class of integrated systems that couple sustainable water splitting with biological or genetic engineering processes to produce hydrogen and value-added chemicals.

Its core concept relies on combining electrochemical or photoelectrochemical water splitting with biological catalysts, such as engineered enzymes or microbes, to improve overall efficiency, selectivity, and resilience under variable conditions.

Designs may feature abiotic electrodes that feed electrons to microbial cultures, or algal cells paired with enzymatic pathways, with genetic modifications aimed at increasing hydrogen yield, tolerance to inhibitors, and direct production of organic byproducts.

Potential applications include on-site hydrogen production for energy storage, integration with wastewater treatment, carbon utilization, and the generation of platform chemicals.

Current status: Hydrogeeni remains largely exploratory. Reported work is mostly at lab bench scale, focusing on proof of concept, system integration, and safety assessment. Commercialization faces obstacles such as process stability, capital costs, and regulatory considerations.

Environmental and biosafety concerns are discussed in parallel with development, including containment, horizontal gene transfer, and lifecycle impacts. Proponents cite potential emissions reductions and local energy independence, while critics emphasize uncertain long-term performance and ecological risk.

See also: hydrogen production, bioelectrochemical systems, photocatalysis, biohybrid systems.