Published: Dec. 2, 2014

Microbial Fuel Technologies for Renewable Power and Biofuels Production from Waste Biomass
Bruce E. Logan, Ph.D, NAE
Evan Pugh Professor, the Stan & Flora Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University, PA, USA

Friday, December 5, 2014
11:00 AM -12:00 PM (Lecture)
12:00-12:30 PM (Networking)
12:30 PM-1:50 PM (Lunch with faculty from other schools)

Engineering Center ECCR 1B40, CU Boulder

The seminar is being co-hosted by University of Colorado - Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado - Denver and Colorado State University.

Abstract: The ability of certain microorganisms to transfer electrons outside the cell has created opportunities for new methods of renewable energy generation based on microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that can be used to produce electrical power, microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) for transforming biologically generated electrical current into transportable fuels such as hydrogen and methane gases, as well as other devices to desalinate water or capture phosphorus. In this presentation, Dr. Logan will
summarize key findings in the electromicrobiological studies of the exoelectrogenic microorganisms and communities that produce electrical current, and the electrotrophic and methanogenic communities that are used to produce hydrogen and methane gases. Recent advances will be highlighted on materials and architectures that are being developed to make these different types of METs more cost efficient, which are leading to them becoming commercially viable technologies.

Professor Bruce E. Logan is an Evan Pugh Professor, the Stan & Flora Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, and Director of the Engineering Energy & Environmental Institute at Penn State University. His current research efforts are in bioenergy production and the development of an energy sustainable water infrastructure. Dr. Logan has mentored over 110 graduate students and post docs, and is the author or co-author of over 380 refereed publications (h-index = 91) and several books. He is the founding Deputy Editor of the new ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, and a member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and a fellow of AAAS, the International Water Association (IWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors (AEESP). He received his Ph.D. in 1986 from the University of California, Berkeley.

Campus Map – Engineering Center (Pink area is metered parking)