Bacteria generate Electricity

- Posted: 19.May.2006.




The Science :

Electricity can be produced in different types of power plant systems, batteries, or fuel cells. A biofuel cell is a device that directly converts microbial metabolic or enzyme catalytic energy into electricity by using conventional electrochemical technology. Chemical energy can be converted to electric energy by coupling the biocatalytic oxidation of organic or inorganic compounds to the chemical reduction of an oxidant at the interface between the anode and cathode. It has been shown that direct electron transfer from microbial cells to electrodes occurs only at very low efficiency. In microbial fuel cells, two redox couples are required, one for coupling reduction of an electron mediator to bacterial oxidative metabolism and the other for coupling oxidation of the electron mediator to the reduction of the electron acceptor on the cathode surface (where the electron acceptor is regenerated with atmospheric oxygen.

The Popular View:

Bacteria battery may be powered by poo