'Space Superbugs,' Slimy Bacteria From Stratosphere, Eyed As New Fuel Cell Power Source

By: InnovationNewsDaily Staff
Published: 02/23/2012 04:24 PM EST on InnovationNewsDaily

A U.K.-based research team has created a fuel cell that can power a lightbulb, with the aid of a high flying bacteria found in the Earth’s atmosphere. Bacterially-run fuel cells may provide a cheap, portable source of energy for villages without electricity and they're a potential source of green, nearly emissions-free energy for the future. 

The U.K. team, from Newcastle University, gathered bacteria from the River Wear in eastern England and tested the different species they found. To their surprise, their best electrician was a species called Bacillus stratosphericus, which usually likes to live in the stratosphere, about 10 to 30 miles above the Earth. Atmospheric cycling carried these airy denizens into the English estuary the Newcastle scientists visited.

Even the best energy-generator didn't work best alone, however. The researchers discovered that the naturally-occurring community of bacteria they scooped from river mud produced more electricity than any single species alone. Then they doubled electricity production beyond what the natural community could do, by choosing a mix 25 of the best strains, including B. stratosphericus. 

Bacteria in fuel cells knit themselves together in a slime community called a biofilm, which provides the microbes with a cozy environment in which to live. Then, as they feed, they produce electrons, which they pass onto the anode of the fuel cell to produce a current.

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Comments

[R.W. Sanders]

12:25 AM on 02/28/2012

Somewhat mysterious substances have been turning up in many locations. Things that locals have not encountered in the past. Most are classified as some type of biological mass, like eggs or something. Could this be nature trying to correct an imbalance by shifting bacteria usually found only in the upper atmosphere? The fact that the interaction of a group elicits more energy than a single strain suggests there is a natural benefit to the grouping, perhaps more than simple generation of electricity.

Could these studies lead to a self powering computer?

[Jeff X Williams]

07:22 PM on 02/27/2012

Good Article! I think this is a good idea... Have a look at this... Making use of Fuel Cell Technology at a municipal wastewater treatment plant... I thought this was impressive!

"New sewage gas station in OC may be world's first"
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=8310315

"It is here today and it is deployable today," said Tom Mutchler of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., a sponsor and developer of the project.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

06:24 PM on 02/25/2012

That is really cool. What do they eat?

[vobox3343]

09:20 AM on 02/25/2012

But should that bacteria morp into a form super harmful to human life, we'll be in a heap of trouble.

[zSpin2001]

07:57 PM on 02/26/2012

Don't be silly. In every single gram of soil we have a million bacteria. You already are breathing these things every day. Your immune system will take care of them. You inhale thousands of bacteria every day.

[MoreDimensions]

06:43 PM on 02/28/2012

Most bacteria are not close enough in form to interact with the human body and many of those that do are beneficial like the ones that help us digest food.  Being this is an airborne bacteria, we likely come in contact with it on a regular basis.

[Gas-Bag]

09:02 PM on 02/24/2012

I remember when Kissinger said that he expected that we would discover creatures that lived in the upper atmosphere one day, large creatures. Perhaps we have found their diet, a sort of floating plankton.

Take that Jonathan !!!!!

HENRY KNOWS STUFF THAT EVEN YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT !!!!!!! :-)

[vobox3343]

09:22 AM on 02/25/2012

Newt will use this in the upcoming debate, I'm sure. Not only will gas be at $2, electricity at $25/month - Oh Happy Day

[Gas-Bag]

09:34 AM on 02/25/2012

:-)

[R.W. Sanders]

12:28 AM on 02/28/2012

You Tube is full of videos from NASA missions that show strange orbs that suddenly light up, then travel a bit and eventually disappear again. Could these be some biological form? A larger creature feeding on these stratospheric bacteria?

[Gas-Bag]

09:16 AM on 02/28/2012

Possibly, But doesn't NASA attribute these events to matter of sorts, that is simply falling into our atmosphere ?

[cosmicdart]

07:08 PM on 02/24/2012

I know that sugar can be used to generate electrons, and that termites have a bacterium in their gut that turns cellulose into sugar. Perhaps all we need to do is use the termite gut bacterium to turn cellulose into sugar with which to operate fuel cells that power our cars. We could also make alcohol from termite sugar. We have an abundance of cellulose on Earth. Termite sugar could also sweeten tea.

[SwiftJonathan]

07:46 PM on 02/24/2012

Why are you wasting your time posting on Huffpo? Shouldn't you invent all of this stuff in reality?

:-)

[MoreDimensions]

06:46 PM on 02/28/2012

Sugar is most routinely turned into ethanol. Brazil makes about 7 billion gallons per year.

[SwiftJonathan]

03:17 PM on 02/24/2012

How many of you actually took the time to find the research papers and compare the emotional claims in the article above (it doesn't supply any performance numbers, if you haven't noticed) against the reality of this research?

Do I have to say more? Go to Google scholar now and dig up the paper. Then compare the technology against commercially available fuel cells.

[oneeasyrider]

04:28 AM on 02/25/2012

Something about this post is very amusing even though it's hard to describe exactly why as it's contrasted in stark grounded reality. Anyway, while it ticked me, it's because I appreciated it very much.

[Claudia L]

10:55 AM on 02/25/2012

Used to work for a concrete co. Just before we went out of business one of my co workers said that biocrete was in development. Where you substitute treated biomass for the aggregate. The bio mass was originally coming from hemp stems but they found this hibiscus plant that grows so fast it can be harvested 3 times in one year.

The American Concrete Association has given it a compression rating 3 times that of aggregate (usually 3-4,000 psi to 12,000 psi), it is a third lighter so it can float. You could make a ships hull from it ( better than Pharaoh Cement). The ACA is now testing it for tensile strength and has not yet issued a rating. We may be able to build without using rebar. It will revolutionize building. Make it much cheaper and long lasting.

You never know where a good idea will come from. Hope I didn't "tick" you too much, my friend.

[-swift]

10:33 AM on 02/27/2012

Do you have to say more? Yes. When people put in the "need I say more", they are making an implication. Perhaps you could dig up the paper and compare the technology against commercially available fuel cells, rather than making insinuations.

[firewired]

01:35 PM on 02/24/2012

Very exciting stuff, here! Keep developing!

[onionboy]

01:05 PM on 02/24/2012

Here comes PETA.

[cosmicdart]

07:26 PM on 02/24/2012

Live always finds a way! We should study molds to. There's a mold that can digest a polyester and nylon jacket if it's left in a cool dark damp closet. Micro-organisms evolve digestive enzymes that may turn any and all hydrocarbons into sugars and alcohols if they have no other choice for a food source.

[-swift]

10:36 AM on 02/27/2012

Here come the naked models. Save the backteria! Cuz that's where the animals eat lunch or something...

[david k waltz]

10:42 AM on 02/24/2012

"Even the best energy-generator didn't work best alone, however"

Bacteria are social too!

[cagog]

10:38 AM on 02/24/2012

OH MY GOD...I knew this day will come, where alien slime starts to absorbed and...no...no...nooooo...to assimilate humans, damn what's the air force and NASA doing, if that goo gets here, we're done man...hear me man...we're done.

[ceekreewd]

04:16 PM on 02/25/2012

fuuuuuuuny :) but true :o...............

[J0E1]

10:29 AM on 02/24/2012

It's about time Bacteria start contributing around here.

[azphoenixwolf]

11:47 AM on 02/24/2012

In the New World Order every living thing will have to work for the 1%.
They won't be satisfied until they genetically engineer us to defecate golden eggs.

[darkmark]

12:13 PM on 02/24/2012

i just failed again.

[R.W. Sanders]

12:34 AM on 02/28/2012

If I could eject golden eggs from my posterior, Crohn"s Disease wouldn't be such a bad thing!

[antipyrene]

12:37 PM on 02/24/2012

Bacteria (and algae) do most of the heavy lifting in keeping the planet livable...multicellar life like us are mostly window dressing

[fds]

02:12 PM on 02/24/2012

All organisms impact the planet's ecosystem and habitability.