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A biobattery is an energy storing device that is powered by organic compounds. Although the batteries have never been commercially sold, they are still being tested, and several research teams and engineers are working to further advance the development of these batteries.
Like any battery, bio-batteries consist of an anode, cathode, separator, and electrolyte with each component layered on top of another. Anodes and cathodes are the positive and negative areas on a battery that allow electrons to flow in and out. The anode is located at the top of the battery and the cathode is located at the bottom of the battery. Anodes allow current to flow in from outside the battery, whereas cathodes allow current to flow out from the battery.
Between the anode and the cathode lies the electrolyte which contains a separator. The main function of the separator is to keep the cathode and anode separated, to avoid electrical short circuits. This system as a whole, allows for a flow of protons () and electrons () which ultimately generates electricity. [1]
At the anode, the sugar is oxidized, producing both electrons and protons.
These electrons and protons now play an important role in the release of stored chemical energy. The electrons travel from the surface of the anode through an external circuit to get to the cathode. [2] On the other hand, the protons are transferred via the electrolyte through the separator to the cathode side of the battery. [1]
The cathode then carries out a reduction half-reaction, combining the protons and electrons with the addition of oxygen gas to produce water.
There has been an interest in using bacteria to generate and store electricity. In 2013, researchers found that E. coli is a good candidate for a living biobattery because its metabolism may sufficiently convert glucose into energy thus produce electricity. [3] Through the combination of differing genes it is possible to optimise efficient electrical production of the organism. Bacterial bio-batteries have great potential in that they can generate electricity rather than just storing it and also that they may contain less toxic or corrosive substances than hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid.
Another bacteria of interest is a newly[ when? ] discovered bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis , dubbed "electric bacteria", which can reduce toxic manganese ions and turn them into food. [4] In the process it also generates electrical current, and this current is carried along tiny wires made of bacterial appendages called bacterial nano-wires. This network of bacteria and interconnected wires creates a vast bacterial biocircuit unlike anything previously known to science. Besides generating electricity it also has the ability to store electric charge. [5]
In 2015, researchers showed that iron-oxidising and iron-reducing bacteria could load electrons onto and discharge electrons from nanoparticles of magnetite. In their research, co-cultures of iron-reducing and iron-oxidizing bacteria were exposed to simulated day-night cycles. When exposed to light, the phototrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria, Rhodopseudomonas palustris , were able to remove electrons from the magnetite thereby discharging it. In dark conditions, the anaerobic Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens were able to reverse the process, putting electrons back onto the magnetite thereby recharging it. [6] [7] The researchers concluded that iron ions in magnetite minerals are bioavailable as electron sinks and electron sources under varying environmental conditions, and could effectively function as a naturally occurring battery. [6]
Although biobatteries are not ready for commercial sale, several research teams and engineers are working to further advance the development of these batteries. [8] Sony has created a bio battery that gives an output power of 50 mW (milliwatts). This output is enough to power approximately one MP3 player. [1] In the coming years, Sony plans to take bio batteries to market, starting with toys and devices that require a small amount of energy. [9] Several other research facilities, such as Stanford and Northeastern, are also in the process of researching and experimenting with bio batteries as an alternative source of energy. Since there is glucose in human blood, some research facilities are also looking towards the medical benefits of bio-batteries and their possible functions in human bodies. Although this has yet to be further tested, research continues on the subject surrounding both the material/device and medical usage of bio-batteries.
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Following are the advantages of biobatteries: • It allows instant recharge compare to all the other batteries. • These batteries keep themselves charged with the help of continuous supply of glucose or sugar. They do not require any external power supply. • It can be made using readily available fuel. • It has high energy density. • It can be used easily at room temperature. • The flexible paper prototype is used as implantable power source. • They are used as clean alternate re-newable power source due to the fact that they are source of non-toxic and non-flammable fuel. • They do not cause any explosions. Hence they are safe to use. • They do not cause any leakage. [8]
Compared to conventional batteries, such as lithium batteries, bio-batteries are less likely to retain most of their energy. [9] This causes a problem when it comes to long term usage and storage of energy for these batteries. However, researchers are continuing to develop the battery in order to make it a more practical replacement for current batteries and sources of energy. [9]
Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between electrical potential difference and identifiable chemical change. These reactions involve electrons moving via an electronically-conducting phase between electrodes separated by an ionically conducting and electronically insulating electrolyte.
An electrochemical cell is a device that generates electrical energy from chemical reactions. Electrical energy can also be applied to these cells to cause chemical reactions to occur. Electrochemical cells that generate an electric current are called voltaic or galvanic cells and those that generate chemical reactions, via electrolysis for example, are called electrolytic cells.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel and an oxidizing agent into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requiring a continuous source of fuel and oxygen to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy usually comes from substances that are already present in the battery. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as fuel and oxygen are supplied.
In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from naturally occurring sources such as ores using an electrolytic cell. The voltage that is needed for electrolysis to occur is called the decomposition potential. The word "lysis" means to separate or break, so in terms, electrolysis would mean "breakdown via electricity."
Redox is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of a reactant change and that reduction and oxidation occur at the same time in a reaction. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a decrease in the oxidation state.
Electrolysis of water is using electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen gas by electrolysis. Hydrogen gas released in this way can be used as hydrogen fuel, but must be kept apart from the oxygen as the mixture would be extremely explosive. Separately pressurised into convenient 'tanks' or 'gas bottles', hydrogen can be used for oxyhydrogen welding and other applications, as the hydrogen / oxygen flame can reach approximately 2,800°C.
Direct-ethanol fuel cells or DEFCs are a category of fuel cell in which ethanol is fed directly into the cell. They have been used as a model to investigate a range of fuel cell concepts including the use of PEM.
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a type of bioelectrochemical fuel cell system also known as micro fuel cell that generates electric current by diverting electrons produced from the microbial oxidation of reduced compounds on the anode to oxidized compounds such as oxygen on the cathode through an external electrical circuit. MFCs produce electricity by using the electrons derived from biochemical reactions catalyzed by bacteria.Comprehensive Biotechnology MFCs can be grouped into two general categories: mediated and unmediated. The first MFCs, demonstrated in the early 20th century, used a mediator: a chemical that transfers electrons from the bacteria in the cell to the anode. Unmediated MFCs emerged in the 1970s; in this type of MFC the bacteria typically have electrochemically active redox proteins such as cytochromes on their outer membrane that can transfer electrons directly to the anode. In the 21st century MFCs have started to find commercial use in wastewater treatment.
Shewanella is the sole genus included in the marine bacteria family Shewanellaceae. Some species within it were formerly classed as Alteromonas. Shewanella consists of facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative rods, most of which are found in extreme aquatic habitats where the temperature is very low and the pressure is very high. Shewanella bacteria are a normal component of the surface flora of fish and are implicated in fish spoilage. Shewanella chilikensis, a species of the genus Shewanella commonly found in the marine sponges of Saint Martin's Island of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.
An enzymatic biofuel cell is a specific type of fuel cell that uses enzymes as a catalyst to oxidize its fuel, rather than precious metals. Enzymatic biofuel cells, while currently confined to research facilities, are widely prized for the promise they hold in terms of their relatively inexpensive components and fuels, as well as a potential power source for bionic implants.
Shewanella oneidensis is a bacterium notable for its ability to reduce metal ions and live in environments with or without oxygen. This proteobacterium was first isolated from Lake Oneida, NY in 1988, hence its name.
Nanoball batteries are an experimental type of battery with either the cathode or anode made of nanosized balls that can be composed of various materials such as carbon and lithium iron phosphate. Batteries which use nanotechnology are more capable than regular batteries because of the vastly improved surface area which allows for greater electrical performance, such as fast charging and discharging.
Bacterial nanowires are electrically conductive appendages produced by a number of bacteria most notably from the Geobacter and Shewanella genera. Conductive nanowires have also been confirmed in the oxygenic cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 and a thermophilic, methanogenic coculture consisting of Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum and Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicus. From physiological and functional perspectives, bacterial nanowires are diverse. The precise role microbial nanowires play in their biological systems has not been fully realized, but several proposed functions exist. Outside of a naturally occurring environment, bacterial nanowires have shown potential to be useful in several fields, notably the bioenergy and bioremediation industries.
A microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is a technology related to Microbial fuel cells (MFC). Whilst MFCs produce an electric current from the microbial decomposition of organic compounds, MECs partially reverse the process to generate hydrogen or methane from organic material by applying an electric current. The electric current would ideally be produced by a renewable source of power. The hydrogen or methane produced can be used to produce electricity by means of an additional PEM fuel cell or internal combustion engine.
An exoelectrogen normally refers to a microorganism that has the ability to transfer electrons extracellularly. While exoelectrogen is the predominant name, other terms have been used: electrochemically active bacteria, anode respiring bacteria, and electricigens. Electrons exocytosed in this fashion are produced following ATP production using an electron transport chain (ETC) during oxidative phosphorylation. Conventional cellular respiration requires a final electron acceptor to receive these electrons. Cells that use molecular oxygen (O2) as their final electron acceptor are described as using aerobic respiration, while cells that use other soluble compounds as their final electron acceptor are described as using anaerobic respiration. However, the final electron acceptor of an exoelectrogen is found extracellularly and can be a strong oxidizing agent in aqueous solution or a solid conductor/electron acceptor. Two commonly observed acceptors are iron compounds (specifically Fe(III) oxides) and manganese compounds (specifically Mn(III/IV) oxides). As oxygen is a strong oxidizer, cells are able to do this strictly in the absence of oxygen.
Membraneless Fuel Cells convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy without the use of a conducting membrane as with other types of Fuel Cells. In Laminar Flow Fuel Cells (LFFC) this is achieved by exploiting the phenomenon of non-mixing laminar flows where the interface between the two flows works as a proton/ion conductor. The interface allows for high diffusivity and eliminates the need for costly membranes. The operating principles of these cells mean that they can only be built to millimeter-scale sizes. The lack of a membrane means they are cheaper but the size limits their use to portable applications which require small amounts of power.
A Bioelectrochemical reactor is a type of bioreactor where bioelectrochemical processes are used to degrade/produce organic materials using microorganisms. This bioreactor has two compartments: The anode, where the oxidation reaction takes place; And the cathode, where the reduction occurs. At these sites, electrons are passed to and from microbes to power reduction of protons, breakdown of organic waste, or other desired processes. They are used in microbial electrosynthesis, environmental remediation, and electrochemical energy conversion. Examples of bioelectrochemical reactors include microbial electrolysis cells, microbial fuel cells, enzymatic biofuel cells, electrolysis cells, microbial electrosynthesis cells, and biobatteries.
Geopsychrobacter electrodiphilus is a species of bacteria, the type species of its genus. It is a psychrotolerant member of its family, capable of attaching to the anodes of sediment fuel cells and harvesting electricity by oxidation of organic compounds to carbon dioxide and transferring the electrons to the anode.
A sugar battery is an emerging type of biobattery that is fueled by maltodextrin and facilitated by the enzymatic catalysts.
Microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) use microorganisms as electrochemical catalyst, merging the microbial metabolism with electrochemical processes for the production of bioelectricity, biofuels, H2 and other valuable chemicals. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) and microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) are prominent examples of METs. While MFC is used to generate electricity from organic matter typically associated with wastewater treatment, MEC use electricity to drive chemical reactions such as the production of H2 or methane. Recently, microbial electrosynthesis cells (MES) have also emerged as a promising MET, where valuable chemicals can be produced in the cathode compartment. Other MET applications include microbial remediation cell, microbial desalination cell, microbial solar cell, microbial chemical cell, etc.,.
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