University of Calgary researchers develop simpler method to produce fuel from biowaste

In Canada, researchers from the University of Calgary have found a way to produce a higher quality, more stable fuel from biowaste, such as sewage, that is simpler and cleaner than existing methods. The researchers used methane instead of hydrogen for the purification process and they used it directly in the crude stage, but they had to chemically remove the hydrogen from the methane during the purification process since hydrogen is still needed to remove impurities.

Using the CLS, they developed a novel catalyst that reacted with methane to trigger it to release hydrogen. They were faced with a challenge because methane is a very stable compound that doesn’t react with many other compounds.