Stale bread and bacteria could power a new era in green chemicals

Scientists have found a way to use common bacteria as tiny, green chemical factories to replace a process that currently relies on fossil fuels. In industrial hydrogenation, the hydrogen added to molecules to create products such as plastics, medicines and food typically comes from coal or natural gas. The process comes with a heavy environmental price tag, releasing between 15 and 20 kilograms of greenhouse gas for every kilogram of hydrogen produced.