Scientists used "wired microbes" to make electricity from sewage

by Alexa Smith Banned
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Engineers at Stanford University have devised a new way to generate electricity from sewage using naturally-occurring "wired microbes" as mini power plants, producing electricity as they digest plant and animal waste.

In a paper published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, co-authors Yi Cui, a materials scientist, Craig Criddle, an environmental engineer, and Xing Xie, an interdisciplinary fellow, call their invention a microbial battery.

Scientists use 'wired microbes' to generate electricity from sewage
#electricity #make #scientists #sewage #wired microbes
  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Well, if matter is in fact energy then it must be our job to take matter and transform it into forms of usable energy.

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  • Profile picture of the author danr62
    "We demonstrated the principle using silver oxide, but silver is too expensive for use at large scale," said Cui, an associate professor of materials science and engineering, who is also affiliated with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. "Though the search is underway for a more practical material, finding a substitute will take time."
    That's always the problem with these new green energy methods, they never scale well. I remember my biology textbook had an article about algae being used to make electricity. That doesn't scale well either.

    Also, I could swear that textbook was ghost written by a copywriter with the headlines and story based lessons they used.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    If electricity from sewage was economical it would be great, because human beings are certainly full of sh...

    ...shiny, new ideas that require energy.
    Signature

    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      If electricity from sewage was economical it would be great, because human beings are certainly full of sh...

      ...shiny, new ideas that require energy.
      Theoretically, almost 100% of garbage and crap could be re-utilized instead of becoming landfill and pollution.
      Signature

      Project HERE.

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      • Profile picture of the author David Maschke
        Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

        Theoretically, almost 100% of garbage and crap could be re-utilized instead of becoming landfill and pollution.
        I don't know if you guys and gals found this site yet or not...

        Open Yale Courses

        It's better than the garbage and raw sewage found on tv these days. I went thru the game theory course, and will probably go thru one of the literature lectures next. European history sounds pretty interesting too.

        Just thought I'd throw it in this thread because most of you seem to enjoy learning at all times.

        There are even free courses that offer certificates... from places such as the evil University of Michigan... https://www.coursera.org/course/modelthinking
        Signature

        I

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