WashingtonDiscovery opens the door to generating electricity from microbes
May 24, 2011
The molecular structure of the proteins that enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charge has been discovered by scientists at the University of East Anglia.
The discovery means scientists can design electrodes with better contacts to pick up the charges generated by the microbes, creating efficient microbial fuel cells or “bio-batteries.” The advance could also help development of microbe-based agents that can clean up oil or uranium pollution, and fuel cells powered by human or animal waste.
The scientists used x-ray crystallography to reveal the molecular structure of the proteins attached to the surface of a Shewanella oneidensis bacterial cell.
The researchers said this discovery could enable scientists to design electrodes with better contacts to pick up the charges generated by the microbes.
These anaerobic bacteria live in oxygen-free environments and can take in and degrade wastes such as oil to generate energy, so they might also be used to clean up oil spills or uranium pollution, the researchers said.
Source: http://goo.gl/ddkAm
The molecular structure of the proteins that enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charge has been discovered by scientists at the University of East Anglia.
The discovery means scientists can design electrodes with better contacts to pick up the charges generated by the microbes, creating efficient microbial fuel cells or “bio-batteries.” The advance could also help development of microbe-based agents that can clean up oil or uranium pollution, and fuel cells powered by human or animal waste.
The scientists used x-ray crystallography to reveal the molecular structure of the proteins attached to the surface of a Shewanella oneidensis bacterial cell.
The researchers said this discovery could enable scientists to design electrodes with better contacts to pick up the charges generated by the microbes.
These anaerobic bacteria live in oxygen-free environments and can take in and degrade wastes such as oil to generate energy, so they might also be used to clean up oil spills or uranium pollution, the researchers said.
Source: http://goo.gl/ddkAm
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