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. .
The team believes their process shows potential for
large-scale waste treatment and energy production. .
The team believes their process shows potential for
large-scale waste treatment and energy production. .
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. .
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. .
The team's findings were
published in the journal 'Joule.'