We recently wrote about how hydrogen production is a costly endeavour for our water supply, as well as the electrical energy needed in producing it, effectively making traditional methods of manufacture a near-impossibility. In steps Bruce E. Logan, professor of enivronmental engineering at Penn State.Logan suggests the use of microbial fuel cells run on cellulose to produce the hydrogen from natural processes rather than converting it to ethanol, a costly endeavour. By using bacteria in a microbial cell with acetic acid (vinegar), a common acid produced by the fermentation of cellulose or glucose, electricity, about 0.3 volts worth, was produced. The bacteria consumed the acid, releasing electrons and protons which were captured by a cathode and annode rig, which allowed for current. When they added 0.2 volts into the mix, hydrogen gas was produced. Admittedly the amounts produced were very small, but the efficiencies here are large and they are quick to point out that "this process produces 288 percent more energy in hydrogen than the electrical energy that is added to the process."
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