The chemical Department of Energy 's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a process to recycle wastewater from biofuel production to produce hydrogen . The hydrogen can then be used to convert bio - oil into higher grade liquid fuels such as gasoline or diesel . The researchers aim to bring the technology up to commercial scale and how the work would show how microbial electrolysis could make bio - refineries more efficient and economic . The scientists used electrogens – bacteria that digest organic compounds and generate an electric current – to break down the organic acids in the liquid bio - oil to produce hydrogen .
The US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a process to recycle wastewater from biofuel production to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be used to convert bio-oil into higher grade liquid fuels such as gasoline or diesel. The researchers aim to bring the technology up to commercial scale and hope the work could show how microbial electrolysis could make bio-refineries more efficient and economic. The scientists used electrogens – bacteria that digest organic compounds and generate an electric current – to break down the organic acids in the liquid bio-oil to produce hydrogen.