A New Development of Microbial Fuel Cell: Vinegar Can Make Hydrogen
Pennsylvania State University recently released a report that the vinegar and waste water bacteria in the short-time power, it can produce clean hydrogen fuel can be used to drive cars just like gasoline.
Pennsylvania State University professor Bulusiluo root (Bruce Logan) introduced this “microbial fuel cell,” almost any biodegradable organic material into zero-carbon hydrogen.
As traditional sources of hydrogen hydrogen-powered vehicles rely mainly on fossil fuels, so even if the car itself does not emit greenhouse gases, but the hydrogen production process would result in substantial emissions. The new generation of hydrogen-powered vehicles for the discovery of positive significance to the development and further improve its environmental targets.
Rogan said: “This is a use of biodegradable, renewable method of hydrogen generation organic matter.” In this study, Logan and his colleagues extracted from the acetic acid in vinegar, and put the electrolytic cell, bacteria While consumption of acetic acid, releasing electrons and protons, and produces 0.3 volts. When another small voltage applied from the outside, the hydrogen released from the liquid overflow.
The efficiency of the method to be more than the hydrolysis of water molecules of hydrogen and oxygen out of the process. Logan added: “acetic acid hydrolysis of electrolysis process requires only one-tenth of the energy.” Because bacteria in the electrolysis process were a lot of work, including the decomposition of organic matter for the sub-atomic particles, which makes the external electronics can be easily the release of particles re-combined to form hydrogen, and then for the car driver.
Electrolysis process can be cellulose, glucose, acetate or other volatile acids, whereas water is the only electrolysis product.
While these may sound very far away, but microbial fuel cell technology has been mastered by the people, the researchers began to apply for a patent on the discovery. As the volume of microbial fuel cells are too large can not be directly installed in the car, so fuel must be manufactured in the plant.
Logan said: “People can respond to these devices installed in food processing plants or farms in the vicinity, the use of the wastewater or cellulose production of hydrogen.” Obviously, with the big cities, these devices more suitable for construction in rural areas.