E Coli can be used to generate electricity, Swiss researchers say

The Swiss researchers have found a way to generate electricity from brewery wastewater using bacteria. A team of scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) engineered bacteria called ‘Escherichia coli’ to achieve this feat.

"E. coli can grow on a wide range of sources, which allowed us to produce electricity in a wide range of environments, including from wastewater," senior author and chemical engineer Ardemis Boghossian was quoted as saying by Science Alert.

Why is it significant?

Add WION as a Preferred Source

As per Ardemis, scientists have already identified some exotic microbes that can naturally produce electricity. However, they can do so only in the presence of some special elements.

But, the new bacteria engineered by the Swiss researchers can produce electricity in different kinds of atmospheres, making it viable for extensive and practical use.

Watch:Aliens: Are we looking in the wrong place?

To better engineer the bacteria, the scientists modified its genome to include instructions for protein complexes found in Shewanella oneidensis, one of the best-known bacterial electricity generators.

By doing so, scientists were able to ramp up E. coli’s electro-activity two-fold.

However, it must be noted that those experiments were done under lab conditions, and it remains to be seen whether or not the same results can be achieved in industrial settings.

E. coli better suited for treating wastewater

Researchers have also found that E. coli is better suited to treat industrial wastewater rather than Shewanella oneidensis.

Breweries are generally required to treat the water they use for cleaning grains and rinsing tanks before disposing it of, as it contains a complex mixture of sugars, starches, alcohols, and yeast. If left untreated, this wastewater could lead to undesirable microbial growth.

To demonstrate their solution, the team conducted experiments using their engineered E. coli system, using a sample of wastewater obtained from a local brewery in Lausanne, Switzerland. Remarkably, the modified bacteria efficiently consumed this wastewater within 50 hours.

"Our bioengineered electric bacteria were able to flourish exponentially by feeding off this waste," says Boghossian, whereas S. oneidensis, used as a comparator, wasn't able to digest the mixed effluent.

This development highlights the potential of engineered E. coli for industrial wastewater treatment, even though it generates electricity at a slightly slower rate compared to S. oneidensis, according to the researchers.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE