The energy stored in xylose splits water molecules, yielding high-purity hydrogen that can be directly utilized by proton-exchange membrane fuel cells.
Even more appealing, this reaction occurs at low temperatures, generating hydrogen energy that is greater than the chemical energy stored in xylose and the polyphosphate.
Zhang lead a Virginia Tech team that developed a way to produce large quantities of hydrogen from xylose, an abundant simple sugar that makes up 30 percent of the cell walls of plants.