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Faculty Member Name: Jennifer Becker
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Environmental Science and Technology
College: Agriculture and Natural Resources
Personal Web Page: http://www.bre.umd.edu/becker.htm
E-mail
Telephone Number: 301.405.1179
Statement of energy interests and expertise:
Dr. Jennifer Becker is a bioenvironmental engineer and focuses on the use of
anaerobic microbiological processes in biotechnological applications as well
as on the reuse and management of residuals generated by agriculture,
industries, and municipalities. The lignocellulosic residues that remain after
corn and other crops are harvested have a high energy content that currently is
largely untapped. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can be used to convert the
biochemical energy in organic materials directly to electrical energy.
Electrochemically active microorganisms in MFCs derive electrons from the
oxidation of reduced growth substrates and transfer them to an anodic electrode
rather than a chemical electron acceptor (like oxygen). Electrical current is
generated when electrons flow through the MFC external circuit to a cathode.
However, energy production using MFCs currently is primarily limited to
dissolved substrates. Because large amounts of energy must be invested in
physical treatments (e.g., steam explosion) that generate soluble substrates
from lignocellulosic biomass, electricity production from these crop residues
in MFCs is not yet viable. Thus, Dr. Becker is interested in the development
of MFC processes that capture the energy potential in lignocellulosic biomass.
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