Bacterias for Energy

Brief Outline of Research Results

Bacteria for Energy

• Active Institutions
  • Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems)
    • "Under Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts intends to be a world leader in clean energy technology," said Ian Bowles, Massachusetts' secretary of energy and environmental affairs. "The MIT-Fraunhofer Center will be a vital asset in that quest going forward." (http://cleantech.com/news/2692/mit-fraunhofer-set-up-energy-research-center)
  • MIT Energy Initiative (http://web.mit.edu/mitei/)
  • National Renewable Energy Lab
    • Hydrogen and fuel cell research
• Technologies
  • Microbial fuel cell "bacterial battery,"
    • University of Massachusetts researchers Swades Chaudhuri and Derek Lovley using bacterium that converts sugar energy into electricity. (http://geobacter.org/press/2003-09-09-discovery.pdf)
      • In a Pentagon-backed project,

ii. Hydrogen Production 1. “Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and North Carolina State University (NC State) are in the process of developing new green technology that could lead to production of hydrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria.” (http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/energy-hydrogen-producing-bacteria/) a. patent-pending i. Licensing information can be obtained by contacting the ARS Office of Technology Transfer or the Office of Technology Transfer at NC State. b. “scientists pick out a gene that inactivates the bacteria’s hydrogen uptake system. This leads to the release of all the hydrogen produced previously. The bacteria can’t recycle these hydrogen. So the hydrogen they produce can be captured and used as a fuel whose byproduct is water and heat.” ((http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/energy-hydrogen-producing-bacteria/) iii. Absorption of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide 1. (http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po) 2. Companies a. “Pittsburgh, Penn.-based aluminum producer Alcoa uses microbes and specialized plants and soils to reduce pollutants in discharged water (see How Alcoa is reducing discharges and contaminants at its aluminum facilities).” (http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po) b. “Connecticut-based bioremediation company VeruTEK Technologies serves Fortune 500 companies with its natural chemistry products that eat soil and water toxins (see VeruTEK completes new green chemistry remediation project).” (http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po) iv. Petroleum-replacement a. MIT chemical engineers Kristala Jones Prather and Gregory Stephanopoulos are targeting the petroleum-replacement field (http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po) b. Converting i. Using genetic alteration bacteria that are fed agricultural waste (such as woodchips or wheat straw) and designed to excrete crude oil. ii. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece c. d. Companies (http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po) i. NanoLogix grows bacteria in anaerobic bioreactors and uses them to metabolize sugars into carbon dioxide and hydrogen fuel (see NanoLogix using bacteria to produce hydrogen). ii. Amherst, Mass.-based ethanol producer Qteros (formerly known as SunEthanol) uses microbes to convert plant material into ethanol (see Manufacturing microbes and Qteros claims 15-fold improvements in cellulosic ethanol yield). iii. Iogen iv. Poet, v. DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (see Another cellulosic powerhouse formed), vi. BlueFire Ethanol vii. Broin Companies viii. ALICO. ix. LS9 v. Convert carbon dioxide into methane 1. A storage solution studied by Bruce Logan's team at Pennsylvania State University in University Park (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/using-bacteria-to-convert-clean-energy-to-methane-for-storage.php)

Bibliography

• 2003-09-09-discovery.pdf. Available at: http://geobacter.org/press/2003-09-09-discovery.pdf [Accessed August 6, 2009].

• Energy From Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria. Available at: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/energy-hydrogen-producing-bacteria/ [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria Provide Clean Energy / August 25, 2008 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Available at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/IS/pr/2008/080825.htm [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• Is bacteria cleantech's miracle drug? Available at: http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• MIT, Fraunhofer set up energy research center. Available at: http://cleantech.com/news/2692/mit-fraunhofer-set-up-energy-research-center [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• MIT's Energy 'Manhattan Project'. Available at: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/08/71574 [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• NREL: Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Research - Awards and Honors. Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/awards.html [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol - Times Online. Available at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece [Accessed August 6, 2009].

• Student Brain Power Wins EPA Grant for MIT Design of Alternative Energy Systems - insciences. Available at: http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=230 [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• U.S. University Developing Renewable Energy from Bacteria. Available at: http://www.america.gov/st/energy-english/2009/April/20090407085737abretnuh0.2269861.html [Accessed August 6, 2009].

• Using Bacteria to Convert Clean Energy to Methane for Storage : TreeHugger. Available at: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/using-bacteria-to-convert-clean-energy-to-methane-for-storage.php [Accessed August 5, 2009].

• Waste-eating bacteria explored as power source. Available at: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123031108 [Accessed August 6, 2009].

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