Sometimes science is entertaining enough to make one stop and ponder the endless possibilities of being truly resourceful. A group of researchers at University of Birmingham, UK, have discovered a way to create power by using the waste generated by a chocolate factory. Microbiologist Lynne Mackaskie and her colleagues at the university fed Escherichia coli bacteria a diluted chocolate waste. Upon consuming the sugary mixture, the bacteria produced hydrogen, which is produced with the enzyme hydrogenase, and organic acids. The hydrogen was then used to power a fuel cell, which generated enough electricity to drive a small fan. If not used, the candy waste ends up in a land fill after the production line. The idea of recycling in such a manner is akin to the idea behind bio-diesel fuel. This could be an exciting alternative energy source to consider as we face the facts of our quickly disappearing fossil fuels.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-02-2006 @ 9:11PM
yelena said...
i wonder if the amount of chocolate consumed would rise if people believed it's waste products were bettering our environment in such a way?
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6-02-2006 @ 9:17PM
Dr. Electro said...
Does this mean we need to eat more chocolate? I'm game!
Dr. "Chocolate Yum!" Electro
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6-03-2006 @ 12:11AM
Angela Pitt said...
Who would want to waste chocolate?
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6-03-2006 @ 12:29AM
Manuel said...
yay! chocolate!! +]
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6-03-2006 @ 6:45AM
BlackT said...
I think that's right, chocolate can give ours organism many energy that can be used to growing and strengthening.
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6-05-2006 @ 8:32PM
Norma Cartwright said...
I don't know about throwing chocolate production waste in the landfill - I distinctly remember a whole semi-trailer load (approx 40,000 pounds!) that my husband and I delivered to a plant where it would be processed with chicken feed and sold to poultry feed outlets. (It was "Cadbury's" - since we're both chocoholics, it was torture because the load had a seal on it but you could still smell it when you walked behind the trailer.)
Still, since I love chicken anyway, I think of that often when I bite into a grilled chicken breast sandwich...
Naomi (who is now jonesing for some deep, dark chocolate, like Hershey's Espresso w/60% cocoa butter - and anti-oxidants!)
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