The writers at Oregon State are having a little too much fun this week with a warning that we may soon face a worldwide “stubborn shortage of sewage”.
That’s their clever way of telling us about some serious research into generating electricity from biowastes, including the stuff you flush down the toilet.
Hong Liu, an Associate Professor, has developed a process of producing hydrogen from waste at a cost that may be commercially viable. The hydrogen could be used in fuel cells, which in turn could power cars or even generate electricity. Liu says her process is much cheaper than electrolysis, which is the usual method for creating hydrogen.
In a press release, Liu says, “In the laboratory we’re already quite close to the Department of Energy hydrogen cost goal of $2 to $3 per gasoline gallon equivalent, or GGE. And with some additional research it should be possible to scale these systems up to levels needed for commercial use.”
The process uses microorganisms that break down the waste, while probes (an anode and a cathode) draw out protons and electrons that combine to produce hydrogen. Think of it as a sewage powered battery.
Plus, and Liu says this may be the best news of all, along with producing hydrogen the process also produces clean water.
Liu tells Natural Oregon that so far, she’s been working with small scale projects. But the hope is to create a commercial sized facility where sewage and other biowastes go in one end, and clean water and hydrogen come out the other.
Which is how the writers came up with the whole “shortage” of sewage concept. If you’re turning sewage into clean water and energy, we’re sure to run out of it, right? Get it? Okay, let’s move on.
For the full press release including the dire predictions of sewage shortages, click here:
Oregon State University: Researchers Moving Closer to Creating Viable Energy From Sewage.
