Making Hydrogen from Leftovers

Waste not: A microbial electrolysis cell (left) uses bacteria to convert organic materials into hydrogen, with a boost from a small external power source (right).
Credit: Photograph by Shaoan Cheng, Penn State University


Unsure what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? According to Penn State University (PSU) researchers, feeding table scraps to bacteria may be a clean and efficient way to produce hydrogen that can be used as fuel. Bruce Logan, Kappe professor of environmental engineering, and his colleagues at PSU have designed a tabletop reactor that uses bacteria to break down biodegradable organic material. Adding a small jolt of energy to the system causes hydrogen gas to bubble up to the surface. Logan says that this biological process--compared with today's existing techniques--may be a more sustainable and efficient alternative for generating hydrogen.