Turning Wastewater into Hydrogen Fuel

Turning Wastewater into Hydrogen Fuel

Posted in: Dogo News

Author: Meera Dolasia

On: 10/02/2011

One of the biggest challenges that human kind has ever faced? Finding a green fuel that is cheap and plentiful enough, and that can replace fossils. Now human kind who has faced the problem has now come up with a solution.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University have designed a radical, low energy consumer which is capable of extracting hydrogen from wastewater, by using salt water and a type of bacteria.

Since 2009, the team led by Professor Bruce Logan of Environmental Engineering has been testing the different types bacteria that are able of releasing hydrogen from wastewater. Though their experiment wasn’t finished; they had to find an environmentally safe way to give the bacteria the energy to do the job of separating the waste from the water.

From then an interesting idea came up: Reverse Desalination !

Desalination is the process of taking saline minerals out of water and that takes up energy, and if you’ll do the opposite it will make energy. So, if they could find a source of seawater close to a wastewater treatment plant, they will then go on with their testings. Like that they give energy for bacteria to work and produce hydrogen. Though now still many things need to be tested a proved. Other than care of our fuel needs it will also help clean – up the waste water.