Wanna charge iPad or your phone…Grow Bacillus Stratosphericus!!!!

Well.. you could charge these gadgets, but would have to wait for some more years before enough electricity is generated from the ‘superbugs’.

Publishing their findings in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Grant Burgess, Professor of Marine Biotechnology at Newcastle University, said the research demonstrated the "potential power of the technique."

"What we have done is deliberately manipulate the microbial mix to engineer a biofilm that is more efficient at generating electricity," he explains.

'Super' bug’ B. Stratosphericus, a microbe normally found in the atmosphere was brought down to earth as a result of atmospheric cycling processes and isolated by the team from the bed of the River Wear. Other electricity-generating bugs in the mix were Bacillus altitudinis -- another bug from the upper atmosphere -- and a new member of the phylum Bacteroidetes.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2104727/Space-bacteria-British-river-new-power-source-world.html

 

The use of microbes to generate electricity is not a new concept and has been used in the treatment of waste water and sewage plants. Until now, the biofilm has been allowed to grow un-checked but this new study shows for the first time that by manipulating the biofilm you can significantly increase the electrical output of the fuel cell. 

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC), which work in a similar way to a battery, use bacteria to convert organic compounds directly into electricity by a process known as bio-catalytic oxidation. A biofilm – or ‘slime’ – coats the carbon electrodes of the MFC and as the bacteria feed, they produce electrons, which pass into the electrodes and generate electricity. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Microbial_electrolysis_cell.png

While still relatively low, this would be enough power to run an electric light and could provide a much needed power source in parts of the world without electricity.

There are many countries where uninterrupted electric supply is an issue even today. Whether such newer non-conventional sources of energy like Gas Hydrates, MFCs would be helpful and viable sources to light bulb or charge our daily use gadgets like i-pad or our smartphones or will these sources be able to satiate our ever increasing energy requirements permanently, we will come to know shortly.

With innovations and findings such as these we have definitely taken baby steps towards making us power sufficient whether these small flames turn out to be the giant source of energy or extinguish themselves without lighting our world only time will tell…..