(麻豆淫院Org.com) -- Stinging from humiliating defeat in World War I, Germany鈥檚 Nazi regime seized on technology developed by chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch that enabled the coal鈥恟ich, petroleum鈥恜oor country to produce synthetic fuels for its military machine. Research in Fischer鈥怲ropsch or 鈥淔T鈥� synthesis waned in the latter half of the 20th century but, like 鈥渁 bubblin鈥� crude,鈥� has resurfaced in recent years with growing interest in alternative fuels.

While studying bacterial enzymes, known as nitrogenases, used in nitrogen reduction, Utah State University biochemists Zhi鈥怸ong Yang and Lance Seefeldt, along with colleague Dennis Dean of Virginia Tech, discovered a molybdenum nitrogenase capable of converting into usable hydrocarbons. The reaction is similar, they say, to FT synthesis.

鈥淭his is pretty profound,鈥� says Seefeldt, professor in USU鈥檚 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 鈥淯nderstanding this process paves the way for developing better ways of converting carbon monoxide, a toxic waste product of combustion, into transportation fuel and precursors for plastics 鈥� without the time and energy required for conventional extraction of fossil fuels.鈥�

The scientists鈥� findings appear in the article 鈥淢olybdenum Nitrogenase Catalyzes the Reduction and Coupling of CO to Form Hydrocarbons,鈥� in the June 3, 2011 issue (and May 27 online issue) of . The paper was selected as 鈥淧aper of the Week鈥� by the journal鈥檚 editorial board, an honor bestowed on the top one percent of more than 6,600 manuscripts reviewed annually

by the publication鈥檚 editors. In the 鈥淧aper of the Week鈥� feature, Yang, a doctoral candidate mentored by Seefeldt, is highlighted as an up鈥恆nd鈥恈oming researcher.

Molybdenum, often called 鈥淢oly,鈥� is a brittle, silver鈥恎ray metal found in soil and used in steel alloys. It鈥檚 also found, in small amounts, in the human body, where it metabolizes certain amino acids, produces uric acid and helps to break down drugs and toxins.

鈥淭here鈥檚 tremendous interest in converting various kinds of waste into fuel and, especially, in finding cost鈥恊ffective and environmentally clean ways to do it,鈥� says Yang, who earned his first doctorate in organic chemistry at China鈥檚 Nankai University.

Unlike coal, Fischer and Tropsch鈥檚 original source for synthetic fuels, carbon monoxide produces hydrocarbons with much less pollution. The substance provides an added benefit: it allows scientists to produce longer chain, double and triple鈥恇ond hydrocarbons, which provides a richer feedstock for production of refined transportation fuels.

鈥淟ike many waste鈥恡o鈥恊nergy processes, we鈥檝e found we can produce such hydrocarbons as propane and butane from carbon monoxide,鈥� Yang says. 鈥淏ut using this process, we may have the potential to produce such transportation fuels as diesel and gasoline that are readily adaptable to today鈥檚 vehicles.鈥�

Dinitrogen, Seefeldt says, makes up about 80 percent of the air we breathe. Though essential for all life on the planet, it鈥檚 not in a form higher organisms can directly access.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like being hungry and sitting at a table laden with food but not being able to eat,鈥� he says.

Humans and animals take in nitrogen 鈥� in the form of protein 鈥� from food; plants obtain nitrogen from soil.

In recent years, Seefeldt has identified key steps involved in nitrogen fixation, the process by which nitrogen is converted to ammonia. The findings contribute to research that could enable an alternative, clean method of producing nitrogen.

Science and industry currently rely on the century鈥恛ld H盲ber鈥怋osch process to produce nitrogen for fertilizer, paper, pharmaceuticals, plastics, mining and explosives. Developed by German Nobel Prize winner Fritz H盲ber and Carl Bosch during World War I, the process, Seefeldt says, is costly and energy-intensive.

Provided by Utah State University