Bacteria are the most prolific form of life on Earth. With about five nonillion on our planet, they form a biomass greater than that of all plant and animal life combined. They can grow and thrive in almost any habitat, whether it be radioactive waste or the inside of another living organism. It has long been known that although some bacteria are harmful to humans, nearly all types have a beneficial purpose on our planet. We are now discovering that bacteria may be even more useful to mankind by helping us to produce clean, renewable energy. Scientists worldwide are discovering that bacteria have limitless uses in the search for green energy.
At Aarhaus University in Denmark, researchers have created a biobattery from salt water bacteria that can be used to power monitoring buoys and instruments. They made this invention when they discovered that the bacteria behave as a complex system in the ocean. Bacteria on the ocean floor consume nutrients from ocean sediment while bacteria on the surface consume oxygen. The two colonies are connected by a nanowire network, that they use to communicate, and produce energy.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham (AL) have discovered a strain of bacteria that can be used to extract palladium and other rare materials from industrial waste, thus making them a somewhat renewable resource. These same bacteria have the ability to reduce palladium to nanoparticles. Once the bacteria become coated in palladium nanoparticles, they may be used to process pollutants and increase the efficiency of proton-exchange fuel cells.
Scientists in Russia are experimenting with purple bacteria, one of the oldest known life forms on Earth, for hydrogen production. Found mainly in lakes and sea beds, these bacteria capture sunlight with a photosynthetic membrane then, through a stop and go process they convert the sunlight to energy. Researchers are excited about the potential of purple bacteria because they are highly adaptable to varying light quality. Purple bacteria survive on glucose, lactate, or organic acids and produce hydrogen as a byproduct without causing any harm to the environment. It is believed that designs for solar cells and the mechanical processes of current solar energy systems may be improved by mimicking the design of purple bacteria. There is even a possibility that the bacteria themselves could be fused with technology inside solar panels to boost the efficiency of energy production up to 99%.
Meanwhile, in China, scientists have created a microbial electrolysis cell that creates energy at unprecedented low temperatures. In the cell, bacteria feed on acetic acid from fermenting plant matter and convert it to hydrogen when an electric current is passed through them. There is currently a problem with this cell producing methane but scientists say there is no methane produced if the temperature is kept below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
It seems the possible green energy implications from this research are as widely varied as the bacteria themselves. With further research, the most abundant form of life on Earth may become the most abundant source of energy as well.
