UEA discovery could lead to creation of microbial fuel cells

The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is said to demonstrate for the first time the exact molecular structure of the proteins that enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charge.

According to a statement, the discovery means that scientists can now start developing ways to tether bacteria directly to electrodes, creating efficient microbial fuel cells, or ‘bio-batteries’.

The advance could also hasten the development of microbe-based agents that can clean up oil or uranium pollution and fuel cells powered by human or animal waste.

‘This is an exciting advance in our understanding of how some bacterial species move electrons from the inside to the outside of a cell,’ said Dr Tom Clarke of UEA’s School of Biological Sciences.

‘Identifying the precise molecular structure of the key proteins involved in this process is a crucial step towards tapping into microbes as a viable future source of electricity.’

Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the US Department of Energy, the project is led by Dr Clarke, Prof David Richardson and Prof Julea Butt of UEA, in collaboration with colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US.