| Ion Power
Inc and the Pennsylvannia State University have come up with a process
that allows bacteria to generate four times as much hydrogen directly from
biomass that can be produced by fermentation alone.
The technology, which utilises a
new electrically-assisted anaerobic microbial fuel cell (MFC), may capture
hydrogen for fuel from renewable sources for clean transportation.
It was discovered that by boosting
the electrochemical potential in a fully anaerobic MFC circuit with a voltage
of 250 mV or higher, bacteria are given enough energy to destroy the fermentation
by-products at the anode.
More than 95% of the acetate was
used, with a concomitant recovery of 90% of the electrons as hydrogen gas
in a fully oxygen-free cell.
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