Scientists catch ‘electric bacteria that eat pollutants’ for first time

TINY creatures that can generate electricity and “eat” pollution have been captured for the first time.

Scientists in the US extracted bacteria which have adapted to living in geysers and hot springs that can reach temperatures of over 90C in Yellowstone National Park.

The “electrogenic” microbes produce power which researchers hope could be harnessed to drive devices.

However, in the ‘Journal of Power Sources’, they admitted it could be difficult because of the extreme environments the bacteria live in.

“This was the first time such bacteria were collected in situ in an extreme environment like an alkaline hot spring,” said Abdelrhman Mohamed, of Washington State University, who led the research.

The team stuck electrodes into four hot springs, and left them for a month to be colonised by the bacteria.

“The natural conditions found in geothermal features such as hot springs are difficult to replicate in laboratory settings,” said Dr Haluk Beyenal, who supervised the study. “So, we developed a new strategy to enrich heat-loving bacteria in their natural environment.”

Some of these electricity-producing bacteria have the power to convert toxic pollutants into less harmful substances.

As they do so, the electrons passing through their bodies as they digest their food are dumped outside their bodies on minerals or metals, using hair-like structures that protrude from their bodies like wires.

This produces a stream of electricity in an efficient process that could, however, conceivably be used in low-power applications.

While scientists hope that the microbes could one day power all kinds of systems, they have been limited by the handful of varieties that have been grown in labs.

But by employing the naturally occurring populations in places like Yellowstone, they hope they can develop something that helps to both produce electricity and clear up pollutants.