Energy Solutions
Energy from Bacteria whilst reducing CO2
Watching recent documentaries and various shows talking about the environmental crisis and our suicidal dependence on Fossil fuels, I was starting to feel like seriously concerned about how fast the environment, global warming and the reduction of vital resources like clean water and non GM foods will become over time. It was starting to get a bit grey so one could either ignore it or start to worry or then again look for solutions.
It works out that there are several kinds of Bacteria that turns CO2 into carbohydrates. A University of Minnesota biochemistry graduate student Janice Frias, recently engineered a process by which Cyanobacteria (aquatic and photosynthetic) creates sugars. Those sugars in turn feeds feed Shewanella baterias, which produces fatty acids.
Sounds like killing two birds with one stone or is it two ills with 2 bacteria in a manner of speaking. Cyanobacteria uses up CO2 and makes food for his little “girlfriend” Shewanella which then creates a form of fuel that may one day perhaps power your home. Everyone wins seemingly.
Works out that Cyanobacteria was widely present during the Archaean and Proterozoic Eras and responsible in large part to the very Oxygen we breathe (ref: Berkeley University)
Why on Earth aren’t we cultivating more of that CO2 sucking bacteria? Well, according to WHO: World Health Organisation, those nice little bacteria are also known as Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Very nasty stuff that is toxic and kills other marine life in the process of going about living. I am yet to better understand if the Cyanobacteria was under controlled growth or was its genes altered such that it does not produce toxins but anyhow sounds like positive news to me.
Expensive Indium-Tin-Oxide electrodes no more
The good news it seems does not stop here with the development of graphene electrodes made of cheap/abundant carbon sheets that happen to also conduct the electricity made by the solar cells out to the rest of the grid. The good work done by Vladimir Bulovic and Jing Kong of MIT means that it getting power from the sun should be cheaper. The flexibility of graphene mean that the solar cells can be thin and shape formed such as the one here.
Spray on Solar Cells??
And the news can even get better … Whilst esteemed professors Bulovic and Jing Kong make transparent solar cells, its seems this kind type of solar generated power below is even more interesting. In the video below, I heard words like spray on. Please check it for me as it is 12,30 am and its almost bed time.
