Research

Hydrogen production via membraneless microbial electrolysis cells

Hydrogen is a clean energy carrier for decarbonizing our energy systems, and complementary to electricity in terms of storage and energy density. Hydrogen can be generated using microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) from organics and renewable electricity as energy source. This unique feature enables the storage of renewable electricity and the reduction of organic wastes.

Membraneless single-chamber MECs bypass the disadvantages associated with the use of membranes in conventional double-chamber MECs. In MET Lab, we design and test novel membraneless single-chamber MECs for high-performance hydrogen production. We also build scaled-up MECs to test their feasibilities for industrial applications!

Bioproducts production using microbial electrosynthesis

Besides hydrogen, many other value-added products can be synthesized using organic waste as the carbon source and renewable elecitricity as the full or partial energy source.

In MET lab, we are interested in converting organic wastes into single cell protein, which can be potentially used as protein additives for animal feed. The production of protein through microbial electrosynthesis bypasses the high water and land use in conventional agriculture. In other words, this technology might help resolve the global food crisis without cutting down more forests for farming!

Carbon dioxide capture

Reducing carbon emissions is of paramount importance as it directly addresses the urgent global issue of climate change. By curbing these emissions, we can mitigate the adverse effects of rising temperatures, sea level rise, extreme weather events, and protect the health of ecosystems and human populations. Furthermore, carbon emission reduction is crucial for transitioning towards a sustainable and greener future, fostering innovation, and ensuring the long-term well-being of our planet and future generations.

Bioelectrochemical systems can use renewable electricity as the power source to drive the biological reduction of carbon dioxide into other carbon-based molecules as biofuels or sustainble foods. This could be a crucial part in achieving the circular economy and the sustainability of human development.

Machine learning powered biosystem modeling using bioeletrochemical sensors

Thanks to recent leaps in computational power, we've witnessed remarkable advancements in the applications of machine learning. Machine learning is a powerful tool for modeling biological systems, as it bypasses the need of in-depth understanding of the complex biolgical reactions. Machine learning is a data-hungry approach, but the data collection in biological systems for model construction can be costly in both time and money.

In MET Lab, we use cost-effective bioelectrochemical sensors to generate in situ real-time signals from biological processes. This approach could greatly benefit the application of mechine learning algorithms in modeling biological systems.

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