Have you ever wondered that one day we might grow electricity!!
Yes, you read it right. It is possible to grow electricity. Bang..!👊
But How?
In present times, humans are in search of alternative and renewable energy sources in order to replace our current dependency on fossil fuels. To our surprise, this is where electric-bacteria, tiny but mighty, comes in handy. Microbes are indeed a gift of nature and they show great adaptability in extreme environments.
Sounds interesting right.. Wondering how?🤔
Bacteria that exhibit these electric properties often live in extreme places where there’s no oxygen to breathe. These bacteria live in extreme environments like underneath the ground and underneath the ocean where they act as electric cables. Every living thing needs electrons to survive. As humans we too need energy to survive .This energy is produced by the electric pulses through the cells. Likewise some of these electron-transporting bacteria just need electrons to survive.
The major outbreaks of these types of microbes are Shewanella and Geobacter. These electric microbes live on pure energy. They eat and breathe electrons from the surroundings. These bacteria generate electricity by extracellular electron transfer known as EET. When there is no oxygen available these bacteria use their little tiny electrical conductive Nano hairs to transport electrons to nearby rocks into metals. By making electron transfer flow they generate and use ATP. If you stick an electrode in the ground and pass electrons down it, these microbes that eat electrons will pop up.
How did they uncover this greatest discovery?
Researchers observed that electric currents were detected deep down under the sea floor but to their surprise it was bacteria known to be “cable-bacteria” which is a multicellular microorganism. This is one of the greatest discoveries in microbiology so far. Far down in the sediments at the bottom of the body of the sea under the layers of soil where there is no oxygen these cable bacteria connect to the oxygen at the surface of soil. These cables span up to a few centimeters which generate energy and electric current. These types of bacteria live in places like wet pools, mud flats and marshy lands.
Will this be an alternative source to generate electricity?
Experiments show that these bacteria cables can sustain electric current that is comparatively equal to the current density in the copper wiring we use in day to day lives. Researchers are studying them and coming up with new insights to power up the world by using microbial fuel cells to generate electricity. These microbial fuel cells can be used to produce electricity from waste water which contains bacteria that break down wastewater contaminants and convert to energy. It is possible to waste water to no longer be a waste!!
To reader’s thought:
Is it possible to understand life on other planets due to sustainability of these types of bacteria in extreme environments?
Will this become a sustainable renewable energy source?
What is the role of these bacteria on marine ecosystems and regulation of earth’s soil?
Leave your views about these tiny but mighty electric microbes🦠below!
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