Bio-hydrogen
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
DOE Awards $1.75M for Hydrogen and Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass Project
November 13, 2008
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded University of Rochester Professor David Wu a $1.75 million grant to investigate a way to turn waste biomass, such as grass clippings, cornstalks, and wood chips, into usable hydrogen or ethanol.
Wu has been studying Clostridium thermocellum—an anaerobic, thermophilic, cellulolytic, and ethanologenic bacterium. (Earlier post.) Coupled with its preference to grow at high temperature, the microorganism promises distinct advantages as a candidate for developing industrial hydrogen and ethanol production processes from cellulosic biomass.
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Study Concludes That Microbial Electrolysis Cells Are a Promising Approach to Renewable and Sustainable Hydrogen Production
November 10, 2008
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| Schematics of a two-chamber (flat anode) (A) and single-chamber membraneless (brush anode) (B) MEC. Bacteria (green ovals) grow on the anode and donate electrons but can also function as the biocatalyst on the cathode (dotted green ovals). Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS |
A review of the materials, architectures, performance, and energy efficiencies of emerging microbial electrolysis cell systems (MECs) finds that MECs can efficiently convert a wide range of organic matter into hydrogen and are therefore a promising technology for renewable and sustainable hydrogen gas production from organic feedstocks.
However, the researchers conclude, there are a number of outstanding research questions that must be resolved for MECs to develop into a mature, commercial hydrogen production technology. The paper was published online 1 November in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
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Biohydrogen from a Coupled Microbial Fuel Cell and Microbial Electrolysis Cell System
October 22, 2008
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| Working principles of the MEC-MFC-coupled system. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS. |
Researchers in China report on the development of a coupled microbial fuel cell (MFC)/microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) system for the production of biohydrogen from acetate. Hydrogen was produced in an MEC, with the requisite power supplied solely by an MFC. A paper on their work was published 8 October in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that use bacteria as the catalysts to oxidize organic and inorganic matter and generate current; microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a reactor for biohydrogen production, requiring an external voltage to overcome the thermodynamic barrier. In the coupled system, hydrogen was produced from acetate with power from the MFC, without resort to an external electric power supply.
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New Membrane-Free Microbial Electrolysis Cell for Hydrogen Production from Biowaste
October 11, 2008
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| Schematic of a microbial electrolysis cell. Click to enlarge. Source: OSU |
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have developed a new membrane-free microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) for the production of hydrogen gas from several types of biowaste—including ordinary municipal sewage. The findings are reported in the journal Water Research.
Microbial electrohydrogenesis is a similar process to water electrolysis, except that microbes at the anode decompose organic matter in CO2, electrons, and protons. A distinct advantage of the microbial system is the lower energy consumption compared to water electrolysis. Other studies have shown that as little as 0.2 V is needed to produce hydrogen in microbial electrohydrogenesis, while a theoretically minimum applied voltage of 1.23 V is required for water electrolysis.
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DOE Awards $1.6M for Investigation of Hydrogen Production by Thermotoga Bacteria
July 31, 2008
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| Thermotoga maritima (green/yellow rods) growing in co-culture with Methanococcus jannaschii (red spheres). T. maritima ferments sugars to hydrogen and M. jannaschii converts hydrogen to methane. |
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $1.6 million to a team led by North Carolina State University to learn more about the microbiology, genetics and genomics of thermotogales—extremophile bacteria that produce large amounts of hydrogen with unusually high efficiencies. (Earlier post.)
An earlier project funded by the DOE found that one representative of this order, Thermotoga neapolitana, consistently obtained accumulations of 25-30% hydrogen. Thermotogales are found in areas which are naturally hot—including volcanic sediments, hot springs and brines from deep oil wells.
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Researchers Develop Two-stage Bioreactor System for Optimized Bio-Hydrogen Production
July 17, 2008
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| The process flow of the two-stage bio-hydrogen system. Click to enlarge. Source: biowaste2energy. |
Researchers at the University of Birmingham (UK) have combined two types of hydrogen-producing bacteria—one that uses fermentation, and the other that uses photosynthesis—in a two-stage bioreactor system to produce hydrogen from sugary feedstocks.
According to an article describing the process in the August issue of Microbiology Today, this technology has an added bonus: leftover enzymes can be used to scavenge precious metals from spent automotive catalysts to help make fuel cells that convert hydrogen into energy.
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Biométhodes Licenses Virginia Tech Bioethanol and Biohydrogen Technology
June 24, 2008
Biométhodes, a French biotechnology company in Evry, has signed an exclusive and worldwide option-to-license agreement with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (VTIP) for multiple technologies for converting biomass to bioethanol and biohydrogen.
The processes were developed by Percival Zhang, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. (Earlier post, earlier post.) Biométhodes plans to establish an integrated biorefinery pilot plant in Virginia to advance the process for the conversion of biomass into ethanol and co-products, focusing especially on biomass pretreatment. The process for transformation of biomass into hydrogen will be developed in France and will be validated through a biohydrogen fuel cell prototype and small-scale model car.
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Researchers at Penn State Show Increased Hydrogen Yield in Membrane-less Microbial Electrolysis Cell
March 25, 2008
Researchers at Penn State have obtained hydrogen yields from a membrane-less microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) that is double the amount obtained in previous MEC studies. Prior work has assumed that a membrane is needed in an MEC to avoid hydrogen losses due to bacterial consumption of the product gas.
This new research, led by Dr. Bruce Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, demonstrates that high hydrogen recovery and production rates are possible in a single chamber MEC without a membrane, and suggests the potential reduction in cost of these systems, allowing for new and simpler designs.
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Researchers Develop and Synthesize Stable Inorganic Catalyst for Artificial Photosynthesis
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| A tetraruthenium polyoxometalate cluster (Ru blue, O red, Si yellow, W black) catalyzes the rapid oxidation of H2O to O2 in water at ambient temperature, and shows considerable stability under turnover conditions. Click to enlarge. |
A team of researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany and Emory University in the US have synthesized a stable inorganic metal oxide cluster which catalyzes the fast and effective oxidation of water to oxygen. The work, a step toward artificial photosynthesis and the efficient production of hydrogen through solar energy, is published online in the journal Angewandte Chemie and is rated as a “very important paper”.
One of the barriers to achieving artificial photosynthesis is the formation of aggressive substances in the process of water oxidation. Plants solve this problem by constantly repairing and replacing their green catalysts. Artificial photosynthesis, however, depends on more stable catalysts.
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US Air Force Funding Research on BioSolar Hydrogen Production
March 12, 2008
US Air Force-funded researchers are investigating ways to produce large quantities of hydrogen gas using photosynthetic algae and cyanobacteria. The program—Renewable Bio-solar Hydrogen Production from Robust Oxygenic Phototrophs—is led by Dr. Charles Dismukes of Princeton University and involves researchers from seven colleges and universities plus the Air Force Research Laboratory, known collectively as the BioSolarH2 team.
The purpose of this research is to screen, study and genetically engineer microbes that can use light energy to split water and produce hydrogen in the presence of oxygen. While screening, the BioSolarH2 team looks for naturally-occurring, photosynthetic microbes whose hydrogen-generating enzymes, or hydrogenases, are more tolerant of oxygen.
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Genetically Engineered E. Coli Shows Increased Hydrogen Production Up to 141 Times Greater Than Wild Type
January 29, 2008
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| Schematic of fermentative hydrogen production in E. coli. Hydrogen is produced from formate by the formate hydrogen lyase (FHL) system, which is activated by FhlA and repressed by HycA. Evolved hydrogen is consumed through the hydrogen uptake activity of hydrogenase 1 and hydrogenase 2. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Texas A&M University have genetically modified a strain of E. coli to produce a substantial increase in its fermentative production of hydrogen from formate—up to 141 times greater than in a wild type. In addition, the hydrogen yield from glucose was increased by 50%, and there was threefold higher hydrogen production from glucose with this strain.
Professor Thomas Wood and his team detail their results in an open access paper in the inaugural issue of Microbial Biotechnology, a new journal from Blackwell Synergy published jointly with the Society for Applied Microbiology.
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Researchers Develop System for Photocatalytic Production of Hydrogen Without Noble Metal Catalyst
January 26, 2008
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| The supramolecular system for photocatalytic H2 production uses Ruthenium (left) as the photosensistizer and cobaloxime catalytic centers (right). Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the joint Laboratoire de Chimie et Biologie des Métaux (LCBM), CEA-CNRS-Université Joseph Fourier, have developed a new supramolecular system for the photocatalytic production of hydrogen that uses a cobalt-based catalyst rather than a noble metal catalyst. They reported on their work in the 4 January issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
In researching the redirection of photosynthesis for hydrogen production, scientists have developed molecular systems capable of both photosensitization, which captures light energy, and catalysis, which uses the energy collected to liberate hydrogen from water. To date, according to the LCBM team, all such systems developed to produce or use hydrogen rely on noble metals such as platinum for catalysts.
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Researcher Exploring Microbial Conversion of Rotten Peaches to Hydrogen
December 27, 2007
A biosystems engineer at Clemson University (South Carolina) is investigating the use of Thermotoga neapolitana—an extremophile bacterium that can produce hydrogen by fermentation—to produce hydrogen from rotten peaches.
The South Carolina Peach Council is funding research by Caye Drapcho and graduate assistant Abhiney Jain. There are more than 200 million pounds of peaches harvested annually in South Carolina—the nation’s second largest peach producer behind California—and approximately 20 million pounds of peaches are discarded yearly, according to the Peach Council. Peach waste has substantial organic value with a high percentage of sugars that can be converted to hydrogen gas by bacteria.
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Researchers Identify New Hydrogen- and Ethanol-Producing Bacteria That Withstand High Temperatures
December 03, 2007
A team of researchers from Finland, Iceland and Taiwan have found new strains of bacteria with the potential of producing hydrogen or ethanol fuels from wastewater now discharged from factories that process sugar beets, potatoes and other plant material.
Fermentations can produce fuels such as hydrogen and ethanol (EtOH) from biomass or organic waste materials. The goal of this research, reported in the Jan./Feb. issue of Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly journal of the American Chemical Society, was to prospect efficient H2- and EtOH-producing thermophilic microorganisms derived from hot spring environments in Iceland that could withstand higher temperatures than microbes now in use.
