Kitchen Waste to Power Fuel Cells... Eventually

Max Romantschuk writes "Nikkei Electronics Asia reports that "The Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and Sharp Corp have developed basic technology for making effective bio-fuel cells". Apparently these fuel cells can be powered by regular kitchen waste. The future for technology like this should be rosy, taking into account the increased pressure put on all areas of power generation for more ecologically friendly alternatives."

Comments

How much 'Kitchen Waste'?

[SN74S181]

I think it's important to ask how much Kitchen Waste is needed to operate one of these things. As food becomes more and more industrialized, i.e. pre-prepared there is less and less viable kitchen waste. So maybe technology like this will work well in less advanced kitchens, but those are the kitchens where it is least likely to be implemented. Also, does this mean people who are members of the 'clean plate club' don't get any energy from their fuel cell?

Re:How much 'Kitchen Waste'?

[Quill_28]

> I think it's important to ask how much Kitchen Waste is needed to operate one of these things.

Good question.

>So maybe technology like this will work well in less advanced kitchens, but those are the kitchens where it is least likely to be implemented.

I wouldn't agree. I assume that you assume that the poorer eat more food from scratch. And while I believe that was true at one time, I don't believe it is true anymore.

More and more people are coming back to well-prepared food. And realizing that it isn't that much work. For instance I ate a banana yesterday and my wife's homemade broccoli soup. Banana peel and parts of the broccoli are not eaten. Instant energy! Of course it matters what the answer to your first question was.

Re:Requires Recycling of Kitchen Waste

[Sgt York]

A good portion of food waste is (by weight) cellulose. Cellulose is simply a polymer of glucose, put together in such a way that we (and all other animals) can't break it up into its monomers. Bacteria can do this; if you have a bug that leaves the glucose alone once it is made (these engineered bugs exsist), this would be highly efficient. All it would take is homogenization (i.e., big blender) and perhaps some purification.

There are ways you could do this that would use very little energy. Imagine a biomembrane seperated tank; in the membrane are facilitated transporters for glucose. On one side is pure water, on the other is water with bugs in it. Add your homogenized crap to the side with the bugs, and the glucose will flow into the other side with no further energy input. Just change the tanks every now and then, and concentrate the side with the glucose (ultra cheap method would be to set it in the sun to evaporate the water).