Microbial Fuel Cell_ High Yield Hydrogen Source and Wastewater Cleaner
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Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner
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Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner
Apr. 24, 2005 — Using a new electrically-assisted microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not require oxygen, Penn State environmental engineers and a scientist at Ion Power Inc. have developed the first process that enables bacteria to coax four times as much hydrogen directly out of biomass than can be generated typically by fermentation alone.
Share This: Dr. Bruce Logan, the Kappe professor of environmental engineering and an inventor of the MFC, says, "This MFC process is not limited to using only carbohydrate-based biomass for hydrogen production like conventional fermentation processes. We can theoretically use our MFC to obtain high yields of hydrogen from any biodegradable, dissolved, organic matter -- human, agricultural or industrial wastewater, for example -- and simultaneously clean the wastewater. "While there is likely insufficient waste biomass to sustain a global hydrogen economy, this form of renewable energy production may help offset the substantial costs of wastewater treatment as well as provide a contribution to nations able to harness hydrogen as an energy source," Logan notes,.
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Dr. Hong Liu (left) , postdoctoral researcher in environmental engineering, and Dr. Bruce Logan (right), Kappe professor of environmental engineering, with hydrogen generating microbial fuel cell. (Photo Credit: Greg Grieco, Penn State)
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'Inexhaustible' Source of Hydrogen May Be Unlocked by Salt Water, Engineers Say (Sep. 19, 2011) — A grain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid ... > read more Hydrogen Distribution Not an Option in Biomass Gasification, Researcher Says (July 8, 2010) — When using fuel cells to generate electricity from biomass, the best approach is to do so centrally, in combination with a gas turbine. The production and subsequent distribution of hydrogen is an ... > read more Hydrogen-Powered Fuel Cell Unmanned Air Vehicle Sets 26-Hour Flight Endurance Record
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The new approach is described in a paper, "Electrochemically Assisted Microbial Production of Hydrogen from Acetate," released online currently and scheduled for a future issue of Environmental Science and Technology. The authors are Dr. Hong Liu, postdoctoral researcher in environmental engineering; Dr. Stephen Grot, president and founder of Ion Power, Inc.; and Logan. Grot, a former Penn State student, suggested the idea of modifying an MFC to generate hydrogen.
(Dec. 1, 2009) — The Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger, a hydrogenpowered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle, In their paper, the researchers explain that hydrogen production has flown 26 hours and 1 minute by bacterial fermentation is currently limited by the carrying a 5-pound payload, setting another "fermentation barrier" -- the fact that bacteria, without a power unofficial flight endurance ... > read more boost, can only convert carbohydrates to a limited amount of hydrogen and a mixture of "dead end" fermentation end Renewable Hydrogen Production Becomes products such as acetic and butyric acids. Reality At Winery (Oct. 6, 2009) — The first However, giving the bacteria a small assist with a tiny amount of electricity -- about 0.25 volts or a small fraction of the voltage needed to run a typical 6 volt cell phone -- they can leap over the fermentation barrier and convert a "dead end" fermentation product, acetic acid, into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Logan notes, "Basically, we use the same microbial fuel cell we developed to clean wastewater and produce electricity. However, to produce hydrogen, we keep oxygen out of the MFC and add a small amount of power into the system." In the new MFC, when the bacteria eat biomass, they transfer electrons to an anode. The bacteria also release protons, hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons, which go into solution. The electrons on the anode migrate via a wire to the cathode, the other electrode in the fuel cell, where they are electrochemically assisted to combine with the protons and produce hydrogen gas. A voltage in the range of 0.25 volts or more is applied to the circuit by connecting the positive pole of a programmable power supply to the anode and the negative pole to the cathode. demonstration of a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater using a microbial electrolysis system is underway at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville. The refrigerator-sized ... > read more New Portable Energy Source Utilizes Microbes To Turn Electricity Directly To Methane (Mar. 30, 2009) — A tiny microbe can take electricity and directly convert carbon dioxide and water to methane, producing a portable energy source with a potentially neutral carbon footprint, according to engineers. ... > read more
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Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner
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The researchers call their hydrogen-producing MFC a BioElectrochemically-Assisted Microbial Reactor or BEAMR. The BEAMR not only produces hydrogen but simultaneously cleans the wastewater used as its feedstock. It uses about one-tenth of the voltage needed for electrolysis, the process that uses electricity to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen. Logan adds, "This new process demonstrates, for the first time, that there is real potential to capture hydrogen for fuel from renewable sources for clean transportation." ### The Penn State researchers were supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Penn State Huck Life Sciences Institute and the Stan and Flora Kappe Endowment. Share this story on Facebook , Twitter, and Google:
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Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner
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Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner
Apr. 24, 2005 — Using a new electrically-assisted microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not require oxygen, Penn State environmental engineers and a scientist at Ion Power Inc. have developed the first process that enables bacteria to coax four times as much hydrogen directly out of biomass than can be generated typically by fermentation alone.
Share This: Dr. Bruce Logan, the Kappe professor of environmental engineering and an inventor of the MFC, says, "This MFC process is not limited to using only carbohydrate-based biomass for hydrogen production like conventional fermentation processes. We can theoretically use our MFC to obtain high yields of hydrogen from any biodegradable, dissolved, organic matter -- human, agricultural or industrial wastewater, for example -- and simultaneously clean the wastewater. "While there is likely insufficient waste biomass to sustain a global hydrogen economy, this form of renewable energy production may help offset the substantial costs of wastewater treatment as well as provide a contribution to nations able to harness hydrogen as an energy source," Logan notes,.
Just In: Iron in Primeval Seas Rusted by Bacteria more break ing science news
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Dr. Hong Liu (left) , postdoctoral researcher in environmental engineering, and Dr. Bruce Logan (right), Kappe professor of environmental engineering, with hydrogen generating microbial fuel cell. (Photo Credit: Greg Grieco, Penn State)
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See Also: Plants & Animals Microbes and More Extreme Survival Bacteria Matter & Energy Alternative Fuels Fuel Cells Organic Chemistry Reference Biomass Lactic acid Yeast Chemical compound
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'Inexhaustible' Source of Hydrogen May Be Unlocked by Salt Water, Engineers Say (Sep. 19, 2011) — A grain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid ... > read more Hydrogen Distribution Not an Option in Biomass Gasification, Researcher Says (July 8, 2010) — When using fuel cells to generate electricity from biomass, the best approach is to do so centrally, in combination with a gas turbine. The production and subsequent distribution of hydrogen is an ... > read more Hydrogen-Powered Fuel Cell Unmanned Air Vehicle Sets 26-Hour Flight Endurance Record
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The new approach is described in a paper, "Electrochemically Assisted Microbial Production of Hydrogen from Acetate," released online currently and scheduled for a future issue of Environmental Science and Technology. The authors are Dr. Hong Liu, postdoctoral researcher in environmental engineering; Dr. Stephen Grot, president and founder of Ion Power, Inc.; and Logan. Grot, a former Penn State student, suggested the idea of modifying an MFC to generate hydrogen.
(Dec. 1, 2009) — The Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger, a hydrogenpowered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle, In their paper, the researchers explain that hydrogen production has flown 26 hours and 1 minute by bacterial fermentation is currently limited by the carrying a 5-pound payload, setting another "fermentation barrier" -- the fact that bacteria, without a power unofficial flight endurance ... > read more boost, can only convert carbohydrates to a limited amount of hydrogen and a mixture of "dead end" fermentation end Renewable Hydrogen Production Becomes products such as acetic and butyric acids. Reality At Winery (Oct. 6, 2009) — The first However, giving the bacteria a small assist with a tiny amount of electricity -- about 0.25 volts or a small fraction of the voltage needed to run a typical 6 volt cell phone -- they can leap over the fermentation barrier and convert a "dead end" fermentation product, acetic acid, into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Logan notes, "Basically, we use the same microbial fuel cell we developed to clean wastewater and produce electricity. However, to produce hydrogen, we keep oxygen out of the MFC and add a small amount of power into the system." In the new MFC, when the bacteria eat biomass, they transfer electrons to an anode. The bacteria also release protons, hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons, which go into solution. The electrons on the anode migrate via a wire to the cathode, the other electrode in the fuel cell, where they are electrochemically assisted to combine with the protons and produce hydrogen gas. A voltage in the range of 0.25 volts or more is applied to the circuit by connecting the positive pole of a programmable power supply to the anode and the negative pole to the cathode. demonstration of a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater using a microbial electrolysis system is underway at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville. The refrigerator-sized ... > read more New Portable Energy Source Utilizes Microbes To Turn Electricity Directly To Methane (Mar. 30, 2009) — A tiny microbe can take electricity and directly convert carbon dioxide and water to methane, producing a portable energy source with a potentially neutral carbon footprint, according to engineers. ... > read more
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ACLU demands records on SW Kan. school assemblies Biologist pleads guilty to feeding killer whales Hubble telescope spies incoming Comet ISON Former Iowa teacher pleads guilty to misconduct Meteorite crashes through roof in Wolcott, Conn. Nebraska lawmakers advance climate change study Chesapeake Bay island amid a disappearing act Gun control fight spills over to federal research SoCal science museum wins national recognition Obama salutes national teacher of the year New deadline ordered for FDA food safety reforms more science news
In Other News ...
China to build second, larger carrier: report
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4/25/13
Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner
Ex-bin Laden secretary gets life for 1998 embassy bombings role Yemeni at U.S. hearing describes drone strike on his village Venezuela's Maduro sends conciliatory message to U.S. Report urges Haiti to protect quake victims from forced evictions U.S. could waive duties on imports from Myanmar British anti-EU party claims Thatcher mantle, has vote hope For India's droughthit states, on-track monsoon may be too late Sudan, South Sudan agree to open 10 border crossings Pakistan must crack down on Afghan militants: NATO Media war gives Venezuelans dueling views of reality more top news
The researchers call their hydrogen-producing MFC a BioElectrochemically-Assisted Microbial Reactor or BEAMR. The BEAMR not only produces hydrogen but simultaneously cleans the wastewater used as its feedstock. It uses about one-tenth of the voltage needed for electrolysis, the process that uses electricity to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen. Logan adds, "This new process demonstrates, for the first time, that there is real potential to capture hydrogen for fuel from renewable sources for clean transportation." ### The Penn State researchers were supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Penn State Huck Life Sciences Institute and the Stan and Flora Kappe Endowment. Share this story on Facebook , Twitter, and Google:
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Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats: APA MLA Penn State (2005, April 24). Microbial Fuel Cell: High Yield Hydrogen Source And Wastewater Cleaner. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com​ /releases/2005/04/050422165917.htm
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