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High-rate microbial production of nitrous oxide for energy generation

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This project joins the fields of space propulsion and environmental biotechnology to develop a bioreactor that converts waste nitrogen into nitrous oxide that is subsequently decomposed into nitrogen and oxygen for thermal power generation. The goal is to develop a low-cost technique that removes nitrogen from water and produces oxygen as a byproduct instead of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.


 

Project: High Rate Microbial Production of Nitrous Oxide for Energy Generation
Funding SourceEnvironmental Venture Projects
Funding Year: 2009
Research Areas: Freshwater, Sustainability
Regions: North America

Research Team:
Brian Cantwell (Mechanical Engineering),
Craig Criddle (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Related News & Insights

A group led by Stanford PhD student Yaniv Scherson and advised by Stanford Woods Institute Senior Fellow Craig Criddle won a U.S. Department of Energy regional competition with a new process that removes nitrogen from wastewater while generating energy.

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Billions of years ago, when Earth’s atmosphere reeked of unbreathable gases, microbes evolved in the absence of oxygen. As Earth matured and the nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere formed, these anaerobic, or oxygen-averse, bacteria retreated into the mud of the ocean floor and other environments where they would be safe from oxygen-rich air.

Stanford School of Engineering