News Biology 14 January 2019
Researchers close in on harnessing electricity from bacteria
One day microbes might power fuel cells and space missions. Nick Carne reports.
Bacteria such as this can produce minute amounts of electricity.
Tomorrow's power plant? Bacteria such as this can produce minute amounts of electricity.
US engineers have reported progress in the quest to gather usable electricity from bacteria.
Scientists know that certain species of bacteria living in oxygen-deprived environments (including the human gut) have evolved a unique form of breathing that involves excreting and pumping out electrons. In other words, they actually produce electricity that could, in theory, be used to power equipment or purify water.
And with this knowledge, researchers are working, for example, to design effective microbial fuel cells or generate power from organic waste. NASA is even investigating whether bacteria could power future space missions.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/researchers-close-in-on-harnessing-electricity-from-bacteria
