New U.S. inventions use sunlight and sewage to produce hydrogen energy

U.S. New Invention to Create Hydrogen Energy from Sunlight and Wastewater

The University of California invented a new device that can use sewage as raw material to produce hydrogen energy.

According to a report from the American media on October 11, the University of California invented a new energy device that can produce hydrogen energy from sunlight and sewage, and can also purify sewage.

Li Ya, an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, led the research team to invent a new energy device and use hydrogen gas from microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) to purify wastewater. MFC is equivalent to a self-sufficient bio-battery that can decompose organic matter in the sewage and generate electricity during this process; PEC can absorb solar energy. These two sources of energy are enough to push PEC to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.

With the help of external power, both MFC and PEC can produce hydrogen gas separately, but the energy consumption is high and it is not suitable for large-scale applications. The University of California's new invention combines the two to generate electricity autonomously and continuously without outside intervention. This research has been published in the American Chemical Society magazine "ACSNano".

The new device generates 0.05 cubic meters of hydrogen per day. At the same time, the dissolved chemical oxygen demand of the raw sewage was reduced by 67% within 48 hours, which means that the organic matter in the water is greatly reduced. The researchers can also see through the naked eye that the sewage has become clear. Of course, cleaning up the dirty water means that the new device will lose its energy source and the hydrogen production will gradually decrease. At this time, the new sewage can be replaced, and it will fully produce hydrogen.

Li Ya said: â€œWe only need sewage and sunlight as raw materials. This microbial device successfully produces hydrogen energy, is self-sufficient, and is very sustainable. It can both treat sewage and meet our growing demand for clean energy. â€

Researchers are optimistic about the commercial prospects of this invention and want to expand the capacity of existing installations to 40 litres. If all goes well, they will go to the sewage plant to continue the experiment. Wastewater from the WWTP is continuously supplying sewage, and it is also fully providing energy for new installations.

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