The 660 Gallon Brewery Fuel Cell

An anonymous reader writes "Australia's University of Queensland has secured a $115,000 grant for a 660-gallon fuel cell that should produce 2 kilowatts of power. A prototype has been operating at the university laboratory for three months. This fuel cell type is essentially a battery in which bacteria consume water-soluble brewing waste such as sugar, starch and alcohol, plus in this instance produces clean water."

Me Homer

[wmwilson01]

Call me Homer Simpson, but all I heard was "beer, beer, beer, Mmmmm beeerrrr".

Good idea

[JanneM]

So it sits on the campus consuming sugar, starches and alcohol. Just like a graduate student then, except you also get some useful output. Should revolutionize academia; just imagine what this device is capable of once it gets tenure.

Bender

[WFFS]

Am I the only one who immediately thought of Bender [wikipedia.org] from Futurama?

Good to feel again

[kilodelta]

It'll be nice to know that beer is saving the planet!

Re:I think somebody misunderstood the process.

[dan828]

It sounds like a bunch of grad students got together and convinced someone to fund a brewery that they had rigged up in the basement of the science building. I can just picture a bunch of guys sitting around drinking beer and trying to write a grant proposal. "Oh hell, just tell them it's a fucking fuel cell...."

Re:Good idea

[daeg]

You could generate even more power by placing treadmills 360 degress around the tanks and paint the tanks to look like free & cheap beer.

Re:Just for reference

[ez76]

More importantly, Zima has found a market!

Re:Just for reference

[maxume]

How many 20 watt bulbs would it be?

Re:Not entirely clean

[evwah]

"If no one were around, you would die from asphyxiation. It is wierd sensation, let me tell you."

you have personal experience dying from asphyxiation? that has to be a first

Imagine

[WED Fan]

Imagine a beo...(hic)...a be...(hic)...imagine a...(hic)...imagine...what was I saying?...(hic)...Imagine...John Lennon was the best Beatle.

Re:It won't be long now...

[weighn]

"Also generates lots of gambling revenue for the state."

I like where you're heading. Perhaps we can tap into those darned gaming machines also. These got to be a heap of excess kinetic energy when you slap those buttons.

Ditto sex. The three BIG EVILS of the Conservative universe - drinking, gambling and prostitution - could just turn out to be the saviors of the world

Re:Good idea

[SurturZ]

I'm glad they've found another use for vegemite.

For those that aren't from Australia, Vegemite is a foodstuff by-product from brewing. It's chief ingredients are yeast, salt and pain.

Re:Me Homer

[__aaclcg7560]

Except that the damn bugs are drinking the beer and pissing clean water.

I can see the Guinness advertisement already

[the_tsi]

"Six bottles in one hand? That's nothing, those lads at Guinness are powering the entirety of Dublin with their brewery!"

"Electrical power from beer effluvia?! BRILLIANT!"

Waste?

[Mr. Flibble]

in which bacteria consume water-soluble brewing waste such as sugar, starch and alcohol

Waste? Waste?! Methinks they have not thought this "brewing process" through.

Re:It won't be long now...

[Stickerboy]

>I like where you're heading. Perhaps we can tap into those darned gaming machines also. These got to be a heap of excess kinetic energy when you slap those buttons.

>Ditto sex. The three BIG EVILS of the Conservative universe - drinking, gambling and prostitution - could just turn out to be the saviors of the world

In the bedroom:

"Honey, what's that?!?!"

"They call it Sex@Home. We have to do our part to stop global warming..."

Re:Me Homer

[Anonymous Coward]

At last they've found someone who'll drink Fosters. That now makes 1) bacteria and 2) stupid Americans.

Fosters *ugh*

[Bester]

Finally someone found a good use for Fosters beer. It's certainly not good for drinking.

Although we do manage to sell it to the Americans and claim that it is beer, they seem to buy it.

Charles
--
Violence is the first refuge of the idiot.

Re:Good idea

[magarity]

Do yourselves a favour and try some Marmite.
 
I travelled to the UK for the first time this last January. At the hotel breakfast buffet there were some little containers labelled 'Marmite' in with the usual jams, butter, and such so I picked it up. I put it on some toast as I would some jam and took a bite. It was, bar none, the worst culinary experience of my entire life. Whatever you do, DO NOT eat the Marmite! It's so excruciatingly awful it must exist purely as a hidden camera type trick the Brits play on tourists.

Re:Me Homer

[sortius_nod]

As an aussie... I assure you that this was just logical progression.

1. make beer
2. drink beer
3. make power with beer
4. ????
5. profit

I just hope they don't use XXXX waste for it... the bacteria will spend more time throwing up than making energy.

Re:Which is not that great for the space..

[plasmacutter]

then why the heck is the article titled 660 gallon fuel cell! DAMN YOU EDITORRRS!

Re:Good to feel again

[Bad D.N.A.]

Beer has been saving this planet for thousands of years. Can you imagine if people had to actually deal with their problems?

Thus the profit spake,

[HackingYodel]

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. --Benjamin Franklin.


A man who knew a bit about both beer and electricity. Think he's smiling down from heaven about this, or puzzled it took us so long?

It would give a new meaing to

[Mogster]

the phrase 'drunk with power'

Re:Me Homer

[TapeCutter]

It's called XXXX because Queenslanders could not decide wether to call it "beer" or "piss".

Re:Don't forget the waste : Co2 (carbon dioxide)

[Cheerio Boy]

Don't forget the waste : Co2 (carbon dioxide, aka, greenhouse gas)

Easy! CO2 powered keg tappers!

The symmetry of the solution appeals to me for some reason.

*wanders off in search of a breakfast beer*

Re:Good idea

[hal2814]

How come vegemite-on-turkish-toast works? That's nobody's business but the Turks.