American Society for Microbiology Meeting Highlights Energy-Producing Bacteria

Filed in archive Energy, Environment and Ecology , Microbiology on May 24, 2006

Bacteria that can help produce energy are the highlight in the ongoing 106th General Meeting of the (ASM) American Society for Microbiology. Here are three samples of such research:

Generation of Electricity from Iron-Reducing Bacteria: The researchers discovered that the bacteria produce conductive protein filaments, or pili 'nanowires,' to transfer electrons, which I have written about previously. Further, they found out that the pili can extend the distance over which electrons can be transferred, and suggests that with the help of genetic engineering, these bacteria may be tapped for energy production. According to lead researcher, Derek Lovley,

Microbial fuel cells show promise for conversion of organic wastes and renewable biomass to electricity, but further optimization is required for most applications.

Genetically Engineered Ethanol Producing B. subtilis: Mexican scientists have genetically engineered the bacterium Bacillus subtilis to ferment glucose directly to ethanol with a high (86%) yield. This is the first step in a quest to develop bacteria that can breakdown and ferment cellulose biomass directly to ethanol.


Detergent-Producing Microorganisms For More Efficient Oil Recovery: Microbes have long been used to recover/mine the earth for minerals. Now, researchers have used basically the same principle in bioremediation to maximize the efficacy of recovering oil from mines.

"Our approach is to use microorganisms that make detergent-like molecules (biosurfactants) to clean oil off of rock surfaces and mobilize oil stuck in small cavities. However, up till now, it is not clear whether microorganisms injected into an oil reservoir will be active and whether they will make enough biosurfactant to mobilize entrapped oil," says McInerney.

See more details from Science Daily: Research Highlights How Bacteria Produce Energy