The researchers explained that generating electricity while simultaneously cleaning up the environment
The bacteria Candidatus Methanoperedens usemethane for growth and are found in fresh water such as ditches and lakes. These bacteria mainly thrive in places where surface and ground waters are polluted with nitrogen, as they require nitrate to break down methane.
Initially, researchers wanted to learn more abouttransformation processes occurring in microorganisms. In addition, scientists were interested in whether they could use microorganisms to generate electricity. “This could be very beneficial for the energy sector and the environment,” says microbiologist and author Cornelia Welte. “In biogas plants, methane is produced by microorganisms and then burned, which drives a turbine. Less than half of the biogas is converted into electricity, and this is the maximum achievable capacity. We want to evaluate whether we can do better with micro-organisms.”
Previously, microbiologists from Nijmegen found out thatit is possible to generate electricity using anammox bacteria, which use ammonium instead of methane in the process. “The process in these bacteria is basically the same,” says microbiologist Helin Uboter. We are creating a kind of battery with two power sources, where one of them is biological, and the other is chemical. We grow bacteria on one of the electrodes, to which the bacteria donate electrons obtained from the conversion of methane."
So the scientists converted 31% percent of the methane into electricity, but they want to increase the efficiency. “We will continue to work on improving the system,” the researchers noted.
Read more
After ten years of work, scientists questioned the standard model of physics
There is another “planet” inside the Earth: how it saved nascent life
The temperature of Neptune began to fluctuate sharply: astronomers do not know why