Biohydrogen

Hydrogen (H2) is an interesting source of energy. It contain about 3 KWh/m3 energy (lower latent heat), and produces just water while burning. However, H2 is produced today from oil by reforming fossil fuels. There has been many research and development on production of hydrogen by a sustainable methods in the last decades. Biological hydrogen production is of great interest. An interesting recent review compares the three methods of biohydrogen production, i.e. by oxygenic photosynthesis by purple bacteria, dark fermentation by anaerobic bacteria, and microbial enectolysis cells by anode-respiring bacteria. The first method works well in theory, but it has many problems in practice. Dark fermentation works well in practice, but has a low yield (about 17% of the theoretical yield), and the last method needs electricity and has a low kinetic. Although these challenges, it seems a combination of these methods might lead to a promising method for BioH2 production in the future!

Effects of biofuels on greenhouse gases

Ethanol has the largest share in the biofuel market. Its market grew very fast in connection to the more concern on global environment and crisis in energy market. It resulted in many debates if ethanol reduces greenhouse gases or not. Some people were/are optimistic and some pessimistic. There is also similar debates about other biofuels, including biodiesel (RME) and biogas which are avialable in Swedish market. A recent life cycle analysis from Lund University show that all these biofuels results in reducing greenhousue gases by different degrees from 68% up to 148%!

(Reduction of greenhouse gases by using different biofuels. Ref. here)

Bioenergy bigger than oil in Sweden

While EU has a goal to have 20% renewable energy in 2020, Sweden has the highest goal among these 27 countries with 49% renewable energy in 2020. However, if the current trend keeps going, we might be able to even pass this goal. The recent statistics shows that the share of renewable energy in Sweden in 2009 was 46.3%. The data also shows a share of bioenergy as 31.8%, compares to the share of oil that was 30.9%, according to SVEBIOS.

(Trend in Energy sources in Sweden, Ref. Swedish Energy Agency)

Citrus wastes to energy and materials!

Citrus wastes are among the wastes that are difficult to handle. They content peel oil which consist of a chemical substance named Limonene as the main materials. This peel oil is toxic to microorganisms (probably the natural weapon to protect the fruits against bacterial attacks). So, it is difficult to digest or compost the citrus waste by bacteria. On the other hand, it containts a lot of water, so it is not economically valuable to burn and produce electricity or heat. The research work of several PhD and MSc students in our group resulted to many different products, energy or materials. Let's hope to see these products soon in commercial scales!

The research publications can be found here!

Biosuperabsorbents from waste proteins

Proteins are the major materials used in the body of animals and microorganisms. We are recommended to eat proteins every day. However, there are many proteins that we don't eat such as dead bodies, hair, or old egg! In a recent work that is now being published at Journal of Macromolecular Science, we have conveted egg proteins to a superabsorbent that one gram can absorb a glass of water. It can be good idea covert our waste proteins into superabsorbents for e.g. diapers, and substitute the current oil-based polyacrylates!

(An acetylated and crosslinked protein that is a backbone of a superabsorbent. Read more about it at "Synthesis and Characterization of Biosuperabsorbent Based on Ovalbumin Protein", Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2010, volume 47)

Science vs. media

The recent debates in media on global warming and possible cheating in the reports of the United Nation is an example on how the scientific questions are reflected in the media. In science, there is no right and wrong. Scientists alway try to improve their understanding of a subject and disucss about the evidences and make some conclusions. Some conclusions which are right today, might be wrong tomorrow and vice versa. There is no black and white, but just grey zones. However, media in the world still see most of the subjects as black and white, or there is a hero and an evil on every subjects. So, we see sometimes some heros become devil. Since scientific questions are coming more and more into the media, our media need also to look more realistic into such questions!

Sleeping society!

In European Union, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark have been pretty successfull in waste treatment, in which less than 5% of the wastes are landfilled. However, the other countries in the union as well as most of the other countries in the world still "wasting" their "waste" and not converting to energy and materials. Landfill capacities are being full as e.g. in Sydney, or it becomes a political issue as e.g. in Italy. I visited this week Nigeria in Africa with 150 million people, where the streets all around the country is full of waste, and people suffer from frequent power failures, while this waste can become electricity for them. Let's hope our initiation in collaboration with Nigerian universities wake up this sleeping society!


(sleeping next to a dumping area in Lagos, Nigeria)

Rice straw into your gas tank!

According to FAO, we produce about 2 billion tons rice, wheat and other cereal straws and stovers every year. Burning is the main practice in the world to get rid of the straws. Our resutls shows that we can produce about 150-210 m3 methane gas from each ton straw. It means the straw and stovers in the world are enough to produce 350,000,000,000 m3 methane gas per year, which is almost equal to 380,000,000,000 liters gasoline. This biogas can replace 8% of the world consumption of gasoline! See how we burn our valuable resources!

(Burning rice straw after the harvesting)

Composting or digestion in landfills?

Composting is a process to get rid of wastes. In this process, waste is turned to carbon dioxide at present of oxygen, while the remaining materials are generally rich in nutrients and used for cultivating flowers or grasses. However, if the bacteria has no access or limited access to oxygen, anaerobic conditions results in methane formation. Methane is a greenhouse gas and much worse than carbon dioxide. It is a typical problem of landfills with typical dept of 10-15 m. The methane gas together with hot temperature results in smoke and explosions.

(Methane gas development from a landfill in Jayapura)

"Mission possible" so "Live happy"

Education is a key to fight poverty. If the researchers, teachers and students at universities and school learn how to convert waste to value-added products in "economically, socially and technically" feasible way, they can contribute to create an adapted infrastructure for waste biorefinery for their own society and in this way to improve the life quality for this lady and her children!

(Picture from a family who live on a landfill)