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,
  • Hydrogen Production
    • “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/)
      • patent-pending
      • Licensing information can be obtained by contacting the ARS Office of Technology Transfer or the Office of Technology Transfer at NC State.
    • “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/)
  • Petroleum-replacement
    • 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)
      • Genetically modified bacteria
        • the bacteria are fed agricultural waste and they excrete crude oil. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece)
    • Companies (primarily listed on http://cleantech.com/news/4194/bacteria-makes-biofuel-and-soaks-po)
      • NanoLogix (bacteria to produce hydrogen).
      • Qteros (formerly known as SunEthanol) (converts plant material into ethanol using microbes
      • Iogen
      • Poet
      • DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol
      • BlueFire Ethanol
      • Broin Companies
      • ALICO.
      • LS9

A brief look at IP development at NanoLogix (formerly known as Infectech)

• commercialization of technologies including:
  • the production of bacteria
  • disease testing kits

• NanoLogix Creates Science Advisory Board
  • the board is used "to help evaluate and target research and development efforts for products"
  • http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS139804+11-May-2009+PRN20090511

• "NanoLogix originally developed the patented intellectual property incorporated as a basis for **Nutra Pharma's (OTC BB: NPHC.OB) Designer Diagnostic test kits. These test kits are currently marketed for use in early detection of infectious human diseases such as tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacterium."
  • "NanoLogix has assigned the rights to 11 patents and licensed the rights to 18 others to Nutra Pharma for use in diagnostic test kit development. NanoLogix retains a license for the nanotechnology aspects of the assigned patents and the rights to all nanotechnology aspects of the licensed patents. In exchange for this licensing and assignment, Nanologix receives the greater of either a 6% royalty on gross sales or a significant annual guarantee. Revenue has started from this arrangement."
  • http://www.tecnica.com/
• NanoLogix, Inc. signed a feasibility study with the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Gannon University in Erie, PA to develop a bioreactor which utilizes NanoLogix's patented bacterial culturing methods in order to produce hydrogen inexpensively.
  • NanoLogix has ascertained through its patent counsel that there are eleven relevant U.S. patents concerning the database containing the terms "Clostridia" and "Hydrogen Production." NanoLogix presently owns five of these eleven issued patents.
  • http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415820/posts

• Key Patents (?)
  • United States Patent 7,524,623, April 28, 2009 Method and device for rapid detection of microorganisms by changing the shape of micro-colonies
    • Abstract: "This invention describes a method of rapid detection of micro-colonies of microorganisms by changing their shape from a regular semi-sphere to a long and thin cylinder. Cells are trapped by filtration in long (diameter/length=1/10-1/100), cylindrical, parallel, micro-channels that are open from both sides, and attached to a filter from one side. A micro-channel plate houses a multiplicity of micro-channels (diameter of each channel=1 -20 .mu.m, and length 100-1000 .mu.m). The micro-channel plate with cells trapped on the surface of the filter is attached to a nutrient media agar block. Cells produce micro-colonies of a long and thin shape according the shape of the micro-channel. The growth of microorganisms in the micro-channels permits a change in the number of cells to accomplish light absorbance. Fewer cells need a shorter time to reproduce. Thus detection and counting of cells can be accomplished in a rapid fashion. The light absorbance can be enhanced by additional coloration of micro-colonies by cell dyes or artificial chromogenic or fluorogenic substrates."
  • United States Patent 7,473,552 January 6, 2009 Production of hydrogen gas and isolation of hydrogen producing microorganisms using replenishing coated substrates
    • Abstract: "The present invention provides a system of baiting and growing microorganisms on a gelatinous matrix. A bioreactor is provided wherein the bioreactor provides an environment conducive to the breakdown of organic aqueous material and the production of hydrogen from microorganisms and restrictive to the production of methane from methanogens. The bioreactor includes substrates coated with a gelatinous matrix, wherein the gelatinous matrix coating is replenished by additional coating material pumped into interior channels of the substrates wherein the substrates are permeable by the coating."

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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