Scientists build caramel-powered margarine-making fuel cell
Cadbury's E. coli hydrogen fermenter Scientists from the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have
found that waste from confectionery production could be used to
produce useful amounts of hydrogen for electricity generation.
The feasibility study used sugar-rich waste from a Cadbury's
factory to power a fuel cell. E. coli bacteria in a five litre
vessel fermented run-off from nougat and caramel production
lines to produce hydrogen. A second culture of Rhodobacter
sphaeroides was added to increase the yield of the reaction.
Adding palladium turns what little waste does remain into a
useful catalyst that can be used in removing PCB pollutants from
the environment, making fuel-cell electrodes, or for
hydrogenation for products like margarine. An assessment by a
bioprocesses consultancy said the set-up could be scaled up to
produce industrial quantities of carbon-free fuel. Project
leader Lynne Macaskie of Birmingham University sai