Microbes provide solutions to energy issues

Michigan State University
Published: Aug. 06, 2009 E-mail Editor

After three years of research, Gemma Reguera, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics and of crop and soil sciences at Michigan State University, has developed a process that can be harnessed to produce clean, cheap electricity and fuel from plant biomass.

Microbial fuel cells are attracting interest as they are inexpensive to manufacture and produce no harmful by-products.

Using a specific selection of metal-reducing microorganisms in the Geobacter species – bacteria that are natural inhabitants of environments abundant in metals – Reguera was able to design a microbial fuel cell that acts as a natural battery to convert plant biomass into electrical power and produces a high yield, low-cost cellulosic ethanol product.

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