Scientists Bioengineer , E.
Coli Bacteria , to Generate Electricity.
'The Independent' reports that scientists have reached a "groundbreaking" breakthrough, generating electricity from the deadly E.
Coli bacteria.
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne successfully engineered the bacteria to produce an electrical charge in a variety of settings.
In order to engineer the bacteria to be a highly- efficient electric microbe, the team used a process called extracellular electron transfer (EET).
Compared to conventional means, the process resulted in a three-fold increase in the microbe's electrical current generation.
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The team believes their process shows potential for large-scale waste treatment and energy production.
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The team believes their process shows potential for large-scale waste treatment and energy production.
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Instead of putting energy into the system to process organic waste, we are producing electricity while processing organic waste at the same time, hitting two birds with one stone, Professor Ardemis Boghossian, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne researcher, via 'The Independent'.
We even tested our technology directly on wastewater that we collected from Les Brasseurs, a local brewery in Lausanne, Professor Ardemis Boghossian, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne researcher, via 'The Independent'.
The exotic electric microbes weren’t even able to survive, whereas our bioengineered electric bacteria were able to flourish exponentially by feeding off this waste, Professor Ardemis Boghossian, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne researcher, via 'The Independent'.
The team suggests that the implications of their work extend beyond waste treatment, with the potential to be used in microbial fuel cells, electrosynthesis and biosensing.
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The team suggests that the implications of their work extend beyond waste treatment, with the potential to be used in microbial fuel cells, electrosynthesis and biosensing.
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The team's findings were published in the journal 'Joule.'
