Harnessing the electrical power of microbes

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology harnesses the power of anaerobically respiring microbes to convert organic substance directly into electrical energy. These MFCs gained interest in their ability to transform petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) pollutants directly to electricity. The microbes that have this electrogenic ability are called exoelectrogens. 

In this study conducted by Li et al. (2019) the bioremediation potential of new strains of bacteria found in the sediment in the surrounding area of Qinhuangdao Port. A new strain of microbe named E2 was discovered and was found (by the use of pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene) to be a sub-strain of Vibrio. E2 was found to be extremely successful at diesel hydrocarbon degradation within the marine environment and capable in dealing with marine stressors while also showing electrochemical activity. 

MFC technology is still not optimized with the level of power produced being fairly low but has great potential. This paper gives an example of how diesel pollutants can be removed from the marine environment while being converted to electricity, providing two highly important functions. Construction of MFC communities has still to be researched into and studies such as this one are vital in adding to the future application of this resource.

Li, X., Zheng, R., Zhang, X., Liu, Z., Zhu, R., Zhang, X., & Gao, D. (2019). A novel exoelectrogen from microbial fuel cell: Bioremediation of marine petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants. Journal of environmental management, 235, 70-76.