www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

The answer to one of the world's largest problems ? the need for clean,
renewable sources of energy ? might just come from some of the world's
smallest inhabitants ? bacteria ? according to a new report, Microbial
Energy Conversion, released by the American Academy of Microbiology,
November 2006.

"Imagine the future of energy. The future might look like a new power
plant on the edge of town ? an inconspicuous bioreactor that takes in yard
waste and locally-grown crops like corn and woodchips, and churns out
electricity to area homes and businesses," says Judy Wall of the University
of Missouri ? Columbia, one of the authors of the report.

Or the future may take the form of a stylish-looking car that refills its
tank at hydrogen stations. "Maybe the future of energy looks like a device
on the roof of your home ? a small appliance, connected to the household
electric system, that uses sunlight and water to produce the electricity
that warms your home, cooks your food, powers your television and washes
your clothes. All these futuristic energy technologies may become reality
some day, thanks to the work of the smallest living creatures on earth:
microorganisms," Wall says.

The world faces a potentially crippling energy crisis in the next 30 to 50
years, according to the report. Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels
and the resulting release of carbon dioxide and combustion pollutants have
brought about global climate change, the effects of which we are only
beginning to understand. The means of preventing the twin catastrophes of
energy scarcity and environmental ruin are unclear, but one part of the
solution may lie in microbial energy conversion.

The primary method of microbial energy conversion highlighted by the report
is the use of microbes to produce alternative fuels. The report describes in
detail the various methods by which microorganisms can and are being used to
produce numerous fuels including ethanol, hydrogen, methane and butanol. It
also discusses the advantages, disadvantages and technical difficulties of
each production methodology as well as outlining future research needs. The
report also focuses on the relatively new field of microbial fuel cells, in
which bacteria are used to convert food sources directly to electrical
energy.

"The study of microbial fuel cells is in it infancy, and yield and current
density are low in today's systems, but the potential to make great leaps of
progress in yield and performance is great," says Wall.

[www.eurekalert.org]

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