A new patent-pending flow cell bioreactor developed at PNNL can purify wastewater (seen here) and generate hydrogen to help fuel the process. (PNNL Photo / Andrea Starr)
In a world faced with dual concerns about climate change and growing energy needs, developing renewable replacements for fossil fuels has been a long-sought dream. While considerable progress has been made in converting various biomaterials into usable energy in recent years, refining them in an environmentally sustainable way has remained a challenge.
Now, a team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed an innovative flow cell reactor capable of refining waste carbon into valuable chemicals, while simultaneously generating hydrogen that could be used to power vehicles or generate heat. This refinement process is potentially carbon neutral and eventually may even be carbon…