A method for applying electrical energy within a reactant chamber to enhance a process being carried out in said chamber. The chamber is filled solely or in part with an electrical energy-producing material which will produce electrical energy when excited. In one embodiment the electrical energy-producing material is a piezoelectric material, e.g. Rochelle salt, which is excited by a stress exerted by a piston within the chamber. In another embodiment, the electrical energy-producing material is a ferroelectric material, e.g. barium titanate, which is excited by an external electrical field applied through an electrode within the chamber. In certain processes, e.g. adsorption, catalysis, etc., the electrical energy-producing material may be mixed with an appropriate process material, e.g. adsorbent, catalyst, etc., to form the bed of material in the chamber.