Scientists Make Remarkable Discovery By Generating Electricity From Deadly E. Coli Bacteria

Polytechnique Federale de Lausann

In a groundbreaking achievement, scientists have harnessed the power of the notorious E. coli bacteria to generate electricity. This opened up exciting possibilities for harnessing valuable by-products from wastewater treatment.

This radical breakthrough was achieved by a team of bioelectronic experts from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL).

The researchers at EPFL utilized a sophisticated technique called extracellular electron transfer (EET) to engineer the E. coli bacteria, enhancing their capability to produce electricity in a variety of environments. This engineered resulted in highly efficient electric microbes, leading to a remarkable three-fold increase in electrical current generation when compared to traditional methods.

Ardemis Boghossian, a professor at the Swiss university, said, “Instead of putting energy into the system to process organic waste, we are producing electricity while processing organic waste at the same time, hitting two birds with one stone.”

Their findings, published in the journal Joule, highlighted the creation of a complete EET pathway within E. coli, a feat never before accomplished.


“We engineered E. coli bacteria, the most widely studied microbe, to generate electricity. Though there are exotic microbes that naturally produce electricity, they can only do so in the presence of specific chemicals,” Prof. Boghossian said.

“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,” he added.

What sets this discovery apart from previous attempts is the versatility of the bioengineered E. coli. These modified bacteria can produce electricity while metabolizing a wide range of organic substrates.

The researchers achieved this by integrating components from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, a bacterium renowned for its ability to generate electricity. This integration allowed them to construct a pathway that traverses the inner and outer membranes of the E. coli cell.

One notable aspect of this research is its applicability in wastewater treatment. The bioengineered E. coli demonstrated remarkable resilience and efficiency when tested in brewery wastewater, unlike similar electric microbes. This success suggests that it holds significant potential for large-scale waste treatment and energy production, which could revolutionize the way we approach these critical environmental processes.

“We tested our technology directly on wastewater that we collected from Les Brasseurs, a local brewery in Lausanne,” said Boghossian.

“The exotic electric microbes weren’t even able to survive, whereas our bioengineered electric bacteria were able to flourish exponentially by feeding off this waste.”

However, the implications of this study extend far beyond wastewater treatment. The researchers believe that the engineered E. coli can be employed in various innovative applications, including microbial fuel cells, electrosynthesis, and bio-sensing.


The genetic adaptability of this bacterium allows it to be customized to suit specific environmental conditions and feedstocks, making it an incredibly versatile tool for sustainable technology development.

Mohammed Mouhib, the lead author of the study and a doctoral assistant, said, “Our work is quite timely, as engineered bioelectric microbes are pushing the boundaries in more and more real-world applications.”

“We have set a new record compared to the previous state-of-the-art, which relied only on a partial pathway, and compared to the microbe that was used in one of the biggest papers recently published in the field.”

He adds, “With all the current research efforts in the field, we are excited about the future of bioelectric bacteria, and can’t wait for us and others to push this technology into new scales.”

In summary, the EPFL research team’s ability to engineer E. coli for electricity production represents a significant breakthrough with wide-ranging implications. Beyond its potential in wastewater treatment, this technology has the potential to transform the way we think about sustainable energy generation and environmental conservation.

As the world seeks innovative solutions to address the challenges of our time, bioelectronic experts are pushing the boundaries and opening doors to a more sustainable and technologically advanced future.

 

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