Discovery in thermal spring

Asst. Prof. Dr. Mine Güngörmüşler from Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, and two graduate students examined the bacterial species in 5 thermal springs in Izmir and determined their energy production potential. The 15-month study carried out by the IUE team, which discovered the capacity of bacterial species to create 'biohydrogen' by collecting thermal water samples, revealed the hidden potential of hot springs.

As a result of the research carried out with the samples taken from the hot springs in Seferihisar, Çeşme, Bergama and Dikili, it was determined that bacteria called anaerobic and thermophilic, which do not harm human health, convert carbon monoxide into hydrogen. Asst. Prof. Dr. Güngörmüşler said, “Bioenergy to be obtained from bacteria can be used as fuel in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, in many areas of industry, and even in space rockets. We measured the highest efficiency in terms of the hydrogen energy production potential of bacteria in Seferihisar Doğanbey Thermal Spring.”

The project, in which Asst. Prof. Dr. Mine Güngörmüşler from IUE Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, and Bioengineering graduate program students Şeymanur Ersoy and İlayda Akaçin worked together, was carried out with the support of TUBITAK. IUE team took samples from Seferihisar Doğanbey, Dikili Nebiler, Dikili Bademli, Bergama Kleopatra and Çeşme Yıldızburnu hot springs. The samples taken from the hot springs were brought to the laboratories of IUE and necessary examinations were made.

CLEAN AND NATURE-FRIENDLY

Asst. Prof. Dr. Güngörmüşler gave information about the methods of the study and the advantages it will provide. Asst. Prof. Dr. Güngörmüşler said, “With this project we wanted to show that hydrogen, a clean, nature-friendly and sustainable fuel, can be obtained through bacteria in hot springs and used against the environmental damage caused by fossil fuel use and high carbon emissions.

We placed the samples we took from the hot springs in glass bottles. These bacteria live in an anaerobic environment and in hot water. We put carbon monoxide and the nutrients necessary for the growth of the bacteria into the glass bottle containing the bacteria. The bacteria we obtain grow by using carbon monoxide as a 'carbon source', just as a baker's yeast grows by eating sugar, and produces energy at the same time.”

BACTERIA NEEDS TO BE REPRODUCED

Asst. Prof. Dr. Güngörmüşler continued as follows: “These bacteria do not have a negative impact on human health. Of course, bacteria need to be multiplied seriously to get to the point where they can produce 'biohydrogen'. Another goal of the project was to show that it is possible to benefit from bacteria in this sense. I think we achieved that also. There are industrial facilities that reproduce bacteria with these methods around the world. It is possible to gain many advantages by using these bacteria in various sectors such as food, cosmetics and chemistry.”

ENZYMES CAN BE OBTAINED AS WELL

Stating that bacteria can be used in different fields as well as energy production, Asst. Prof. Dr. Güngörmüşler said, “Bacteria can be used not only to produce energy but also to obtain enzymes. For example, it is possible to produce enzymes that add stain removing properties to detergents by using these bacteria. We also calculated the biohydrogen production efficiency of the bacteria in our study. In simple terms, bacteria can convert 100 units of toxic carbon monoxide into about 50 units of biohydrogen. Although this figure is not high at the moment, we aim to increase these significantly in the second phase of the project. We will also contribute to the sustainable bioeconomy by using the extreme bacteria species found in Izmir thermal springs and living at high temperatures.”

BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Şeymanur Ersoy and İlayda Akaçin, who took part in the project as scholarship holders, said, “Considered as the cleanest fuel among sustainable fuels that does not cause carbon emissions, hydrogen has come to the fore in recent years around the world. Taking part in a project on this has added a lot to us in terms of both knowledge and experience. We continue to work on the project. We can say that we have accomplished an exciting and remarkable work. We would like to thank our professors who supported us.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Osman Doluca from IUE, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tuğba Keskin Gündoğdu from Izmir Demokrasi University, and Dr. Haris Nalakath Abubackar from Spain also take part in the project as researchers in the project led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Mine Güngörmüşler.