Converting waste water into energy has earned Bruce Logan, Kappe professor of environmental engineering, Penn State, the 2009 National Water Research Institute's Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize for excellence in water research.
The prize was established in 1993 to recognize outstanding research scientists who have demonstrated excellence in water-science research and technology. The prize includes a medallion and $50,000 and is awarded annually. Logan is the 16th recipient.
Logan, receives the award for his innovative efforts to generate clean, renewable forms of energy during the treatment of wastewater. The energy needed to power water infrastructure is often cost prohibitive in developing countries. Logan, who is director of Penn State's Hydrogen Energy Center, has developed an energy-sustainable water infrastructure for both industrialized and developing nations. His microbial fuel cells allow energy generation form organic materials found in wastewater, producing clean water and energy. His microbial electrolysis cells break down organic matter to produce hydrogen -- a portable fuel -- and clean water.
The author of Microbial Fuel Cells, one of the first books written on the technology, he has also published more than 220 technical papers. He is a Visiting Professor at both Harbin Institute of Technology, China and Newcastle University, U.K., where he focuses on renewable bioenergy producing. He also collaborates with Tsinghua University, China, where he is developing a zero-electrical energy desalination technology. He is a Global Research Partner with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
The prize will be awarded on July 9 at the Sixteenth Annual Clarke Prize Lecture and Award Ceremony, Fairmont Newport Beach, Newport Beach, Ca.