Researchers in Trondheim have succeeded in getting bacteria to power a fuel cell. The “fuel” used is wastewater, and the products of the process are pure water droplets and electricity.
“This is an environmentally-friendly process for the purification of water derived from industrial processes and suchlike”, says SINTEF researcher Luis Cesar Colmenares, who is running the project together with his colleague Roman Netzer. “It also generates small amounts of electricity – in practice enough to drive a small fan, a sensor or a light-emitting diode”, he says.
In the future, the researchers hope to scale up this energy generation to enable the same energy to be used to power the water purification process, which commonly consists of many stages, often involving mechanical and energy-demanding decontamination steps at its outset.
Nature’s own generator
The biological fuel cell is powered by entirely natural processes – with the help of living microorganisms.
“In simple terms, this type of fuel cell works because the bacteria consume the waste materials found in the water”, explains Colmenares. “As they eat, the bacteria produce electrons and protons. The voltage that arises between these particles generates energy that we can exploit. Since the waste in the wastewater (organic material) is consumed and thus removed, the water itself becomes purified”, he says.
Read more: Running fuel cells on bacteria
The Latest on: Biological fuel cell
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Biological fuel cell” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Biological fuel cell
- Want $10,000? Invest $1,000 in These 3 Penny Stocks Nowon May 7, 2024 at 9:56 am
Fuel Cell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) is a company that aims to be the ... That’s where Ginkgo Bioworks (NASDAQ:DNA) started its current trajectory into the world of cellular biological engineering. Using a ...
- Ready. Aim. Fire: Mitochondria as Treatment Targetson May 7, 2024 at 7:44 am
Boosting mitochondrial function is about to revolutionize psychiatric treatment—and some metabolic strategies are readily accessible now.
- Unique fingerprint of cancer cells revealed in hydrogen atomson May 7, 2024 at 6:00 am
Geologists and biologists use earth science tools to identify cancer's unique atomic markers known as fingerprints.
- Deepcell Announces Successful Installation of the First Commercial REM-I Platformon May 2, 2024 at 6:14 am
View the full release here: "With the full commercial launch of the REM-I platform, we look forward to seeing the broad range of scientific questions our customers tackle with the ability to combine ...
- More details on Norway’s giant hydrogen fueled-ferries emergeon May 1, 2024 at 7:04 am
When Norwegian ferry operator Trollhatten Nord announced that it had placed an order at the Mykelbust shipyard for what will be the world’s two largest hydrogen fueled ferries, few details of the ...
- Why is exercise good for you? Scientists are finding answers in our cellson April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Decades of evidence shows that exercise leads to healthier, longer lives. Researchers are just starting to work out what it does to cells to reap this reward.
- Why we should go with the flow of our biological clockson April 25, 2024 at 10:00 pm
Columnist Susan Payrovi discovers how her body prefers to follow natural circadian rhythms, or biological clocks.
- Yeast Fuel, Developed by Chula's Faculty of Science Soon to Expand Its Production for the Aerospace Industryon April 23, 2024 at 9:27 am
Researchers from Chulalongkorn University have made use of forage grass to feed microorganisms and convert the resulting fat into jet fuel. They aim to expand petroleum-based oil replacement ...
- Biological Nitrogen Fixationon August 13, 2020 at 10:28 pm
This “greening” of the water column has caused decreased levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) in bottom waters as planktonic algae die and fuel microbial ... root epidermal cells called root ...
- Micro-Organisms Give Up The Volts In This Biological Batteryon July 27, 2018 at 5:15 am
Battery cells work by chemical reactions, and the fascinating Hybrid Microbial Fuel Cell design by [Josh ... this would make the biological processes more complementary.
via Bing News