Jonathan Liu
March 9th, 2014
Published: March 3, 2014
URL: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/power-packed-bacterial-spores-generate-electricity
Summary: Scientists have discovered that bacterial spores can actually be used as a source of renewable energy. The spores of Bacillus bloat up when exposed to humidity and shrivel up in dry environments. By transitioning through being shriveled up to being bloated, energy is generated. The transition takes roughly about two seconds. Biophysicists at Columbia University realized that this transition could generate energy, so they tested it. They smeared spores onto a piece of rubber roughly about the size of a human hand. By adding more parts, the scientists were able to make a spore-powered generator. Dry shriveled spores pull the rubber into a curve, while bloated spores make the rubber flat again. By linking it to a generator, every transition produced an electrical current. The scientists reported that the spore power rivaled the juice in a car battery, and that the spores have high energy potential (more than 1,000 times that of mammalian muscle).
Connection: In the first unit of this term, we learned about various micro-organisms. One of these organisms being bacteria. In earlier units we also learned about global warming and using renewable resources. This connects past units to our current unit by talking about using bacteria as a renewable resource. It also links to one of our older units that talked about potential energy because the article had talked about how the pores had high potential energy.
What do these biophysicists plan to use this new source of energy for?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe scientists say that energy-harvesting devices could be linked into municipal grids to contribute a power boost to homes and cities. So they're basically using the energy for electricity.
DeleteHow much more efficient is this compared to other major energy sources now? Ex. How long will it take these spores to make the same amount of energy as would be produced by burning oil?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the article nor the citation mentions anything about comparing it to major energy sources now. All the article says is that the spores have a high energy potential (1,000 times mammalian muscle).
DeleteOh yeah the article also said that the power rivaled the juice in a car battery, so I would assume it produces lots of energy. Enough to run a car at least.
DeleteHow would the transition between humidity and dryness work in reality? It would cost energy to make the environment with the bacteria alternate between the two. Or is the energy produced by the bacteria more than the cost? (which makes less sense since energy cannot be made)
ReplyDeleteThey basically put the spores in arid conditions, and then they pump so humid air to make the spores expand. Then they keep cycling through that process. As said in the article, the scientists have already tested this, and have already made a generator that produces electricity through this method. They're using the bacteria spores' high amount of potential energy to create electricity. It's not "making" energy, it's more like converting it. I'm fairly sure the energy used to make the environment is less than the electrical energy produced from using the spores' potential energy.
Delete