Bacteria and enzymes are being turned into tiny power plants that generate electricity from organic matter and wastewater. This research addresses a fundamental limitation of conventional fuel cells: their reliance on expensive platinum catalysts and complex membranes. By using living microbes or purified enzymes instead, the consortium aims to create cheaper, simpler energy devices that can run on abundant biological fuels. If successful, microbial fuel cells could transform wastewater treatment—bacteria would break down contaminants while simultaneously producing electricity, offsetting the energy costs of cleaning water. Enzyme-based fuel cells, meanwhile, could power tiny medical implants, replacing batteries that require surgical replacement. The work also targets replacing platinum with cheap, abundant materials for the oxygen-reduction reaction, which would lower the cost of all fuel cells. This is applied engineering, not fundamental science. The consortium is systematically tackling specific technical bottlenecks: how bacteria colonise electrodes, how charge transfers between cells and surfaces, and how to design porous carbon electrodes from cheap materials. The goal is a working technology, not a conceptual advance.
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The Supergen Biological Fuel Cells Consortium is developing advanced technologies that exploit the special properties of biological systems for energy production. A fuel cell produces electricity by reacting a fuel (such as hydrogen or methanol) with oxygen (from air) at a pair of electrodes instead of by combustion,which produces only heat. Normally, fuel cells require expensive components such as special catalysts (platinum) and membranes. In contrast, biological fuel cells use whole organisms or isolated enzymes as catalysts, and a membrane may not be necessary. Two kinds of fuel cell are under development - microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and enzyme-based fuel cells. MFCs have an important role to play in improving our environment and conserving energy whereas enzyme-based fuel cells (EFCs) provide unique opportunities for new kinds of fuel cells, including ones that can be made very small for niche applications such as implantable power sources. MFCs use bacteria, held in contact with an electrode, to convert organic matter (the fuel) into electrical power. They can also be used to remove (oxidising) contaminants from water supplies with the advantage that the electrical power that is simultaneously produced offsets the energy costs for remediation. EFCs exploit the high activities, efficiencies and selectivities of enzymes, recognising that in most cases, and particularly when attached to an electrode, their performance is far superior to man-made catalysts. The Consortium combines expertise in several areas and plans to advance the field on several fronts. These include the following: developing a clear understanding of how microbes colonise electrodes, how useful bacteria can be sustained and undesirable microbes deterred from colonising; understanding and improving the way that electrical charge is transferred between bacteria and electrodes; optimising the design of electrodes from cheap and abundant materials, focusing on such factors as surface chemistry porosity and conductivity; designing novel fuel cells for small-scale special applications; last but not least, finding new ways to replace platinum as the electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction.
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