Researchers have developed an innovative method to convert common wood waste into a new, advanced fuel source.
German scientists are making significant strides in finding ways to turn wood waste into something useful by converting it into clean hydrogen energy, as reported by Tech Xplore.
The researchers are focusing on the Black Forest region in Germany, home to many furniture and wood processing companies.
Their project, named H2Wood-BlackForest, started four years ago. They have created a process that breaks down wood into its individual components and then repurposes them for new uses.
To break down the wood, it is first heated under pressure in a mixture of ethanol and water, which removes contaminants and extracts natural fibers and sugars.
These sugars are then used as food for bacteria in a fermentation process that produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
The carbon dioxide is then used to fuel another fermentation process that grows microalgae, which produces even more hydrogen.
Reports suggest that the hydrogen produced is a powerful energy carrier, and when combined with oxygen, it can power a fuel cell that generates heat or electricity, with the only byproduct being water vapor.
The researchers have demonstrated that wood, which is typically discarded or burned, can be effectively utilized using this method.
Additionally, the byproducts from both fermentation processes can be recycled in industries like car manufacturing.
