Electricity to Methane Converting Bacteria
Apr. 5th, 2009 10:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
webfarmerThanks to markmc03 for this one. Looks promising at first glance.
Bacterium Eats Electricity, Farts Biogas - New Scientist - 05 Apr 09
"The new method relies on a bacterium discovered by Bruce Logan's team at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. When living on the cathode of an electrolytic cell, the organism can take in electrons and use their energy to convert carbon dioxide into methane. Logan's team discovered this behaviour in a mixed culture of bacteria, dominated by Methanobacterium palustre – the first to be observed directly manufacturing methane in this way. The behaviour had been previously suspected but not confirmed.
Tom Curtis at the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability at Newcastle University, UK, says that the use of bacteria, rather than conventional catalysts, is a plus. 'There are no noble metals involved, so it should be very cheap,' he says. Of the energy put into the system as electricity, 80% was eventually recovered when the methane was burned – a fairly high efficiency. 'You don't get all the energy back, but that's a problem with any form of energy storage,' says Curtis."
Bacterium Eats Electricity, Farts Biogas - New Scientist - 05 Apr 09
"The new method relies on a bacterium discovered by Bruce Logan's team at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. When living on the cathode of an electrolytic cell, the organism can take in electrons and use their energy to convert carbon dioxide into methane. Logan's team discovered this behaviour in a mixed culture of bacteria, dominated by Methanobacterium palustre – the first to be observed directly manufacturing methane in this way. The behaviour had been previously suspected but not confirmed.
Tom Curtis at the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability at Newcastle University, UK, says that the use of bacteria, rather than conventional catalysts, is a plus. 'There are no noble metals involved, so it should be very cheap,' he says. Of the energy put into the system as electricity, 80% was eventually recovered when the methane was burned – a fairly high efficiency. 'You don't get all the energy back, but that's a problem with any form of energy storage,' says Curtis."
