The Desulfitobacterium are known for their ability to break down and detoxify some of the most problematic environmental pollutants, including PCBs and some chemical solvents. Now, it seems, they also produce electrinicty. Better still, they're one of those extremely hardy spore-forming varieties that are very resistant to heat, drying, and radiation. So their use in microbial fuel cells is also a possibility down the road.
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I can already see the sci-fi film this would make. Mankind harnesses bacteria to power their cars, tvs and ipods but the bacteria is hungry. And likes people better! Muahahaha. I'm sorry. I'm going to go hand my head in shame now.
There are also bacterial fuel cells that digest sewage and yield electricity.
Link
Now if you could get that process going in your gut,
you might be able to recharge your own cell-phone.
A couple of wires up your a$$.
Most of my phone calls are b.s. anyway.
Good link, Dan. Liked this:
Let's hope that some bright spark in this nation uses it for OUR benefit rather than letting other nations or corporations take it and use it leaving us in the dust (with those in the "there's plenty of oil left" gang).
Uh, the electricty generated is not commercially viable.
It is probably not enough to run the sewage plant.
No mention of how the electricty is collected. If it is some kind of fuel cell then we are back to the problem of reducing the cost of fuel cells.
Lots of thing can be done in labs. Not all of them are comercially viable.
M. Simon's point is valid. I'm encouraged that Logan at Penn thinks something commercially viable may be possible, but we'll see.
I'm more encouraged by the Desulfitobacterium, which may be usable in portable fuel cells - which I see as hitting their development curve long before the major commercial variety.
Even if they don't, of course, eating the PCB and paint thinner is nice of them.
Interesting concept!...Is'nt yogurt a friendly bacteria? I guess we consider bacteria as a health issue kind of thing. That is why this concept seems rather strange.