Researchers at the University of Birmingham in England must go
through a lot of Dairy Milk. So much so, even, that theyve
teamed up with Cadbury Schweppes (the makers of numerous
chocolaty treats) to use the by-products of candy production as
an alternative source for hydrogen power. The scientists fed
leftover caramel and nougat (mmm, nougat) to sugar-loving
bacteria, which release hydrogen and organic acids as they eat.
The organic acids were then fed to a second type of hydrogen-
producing bacteria, and the combined hydrogen production of the
two (when converted into electricity by a fuel cell) was enough
to power a small electric fan. You can view a video of the
experiment here. The research team hopes that, in five to 10
years, the process will be refined enough to provide enough
hydrogen to produce industrial electricity and to power waste
treatment. Research leader Lynne Macaskie predicts that homes of
the future will come with eco-pods, so every family will have
its own mini bacteria-power plant runnin