Electrify the world! You may spontaneously think about electric cars, however electricity can do so much more. We can use it to feed bacteria that convert carbon dioxide from a chimney to valuable products. We can replace nasty chemicals used to combat sewer corrosion in your own neighborhood, recover chemicals considered lost in wastewater and create safe water in Indian slums. As electricity increasingly finds sustainable sources, we should take this as an opportunity to create a greener chemical and water sector.
Korneel Rabaey is professor at the Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology at Ghent University.
After graduating as bioengineer, he worked for almost 6 years in Australia on novel technologies for electricity driven bioconversions.
Back in Europe since 2011, he leads a team working on a diverse portfolio of technologies all driven by electricity and targeting waste cleanup, bioproduction and sanitation.
Until recently he was also president of ISMET, since 2015 he is listed as ISI Highly Cited Researcher
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx