Science fiction has made so many things look untrue or unattainable but science has made them a dream come through. With improvement in technological research, nanowire-sprouting bacteria has been able to generate electricity from thin air. You must have heard scientist saying they are working on clean power/electricity for self-sustainable system, if you never thought such a thing could become a reality then welcome to the world of reality.
Microbiologist Darek Lovley and his colleague at the University of Massachusetts Amherst the microbes were able to produce electrical wires which could be used to generate electricity. They called the electrical wires Microbial nanowires and this research created controversies in the science world for a decade. This was proven when Electrical Engineer Jun Yao and microbiologist Darek Lovley from the University of Massachusett confirmed the Air-gen.
We are literally making electricity out of thin air – Jun Yao
G. sulfurreducens has been proven to be able to generate electricity from nothing but air water vapor with the help of its protein nanowires. This scientist decided to work upon in other to generate a device with pure energy. The Air-gen is a thin-film device made from nanometer protein wires gotten from Geobacter sulfurreducens. The device made up of 7 micrometer-thick protein wires connects electrode to the protein wires to produces 0.5 volts with a current density of 17 microamperes per square centimeter. Researchers says 20 Air-gen devices linked together will generate around 10 volts which is enough to power a mobile phone.
The Air-gen is designed in a way that one end of 7 micrometer thick nanowire rests on an electrode. A smaller electrode covers the other part of the nanowire on top. The micro films absorb water vapor which is always present in the air. A combination of surface chemistry and electrical conductivity of the protein nanowires establishes the condition to generate an electric current between the two electrodes.
Darek Lovley and Jun Yao says the device doesn’t need sunlight, wind or rain to work, it only needs thin air as it can work indoors and in extremely low humidity like the desert. Also, Yao said the Air-gen is low cost, renewable source of energy which doesn’t pollute the environment. Currently, the Air-gen can power small electronics and work is going on to bring it to the commercial scale.
The ultimate goal is to make large-scale system...For example, the technology might be incorporated into wall paint that could help power your home. Or, we may develop stand-alone air-powered generators that supply electricity off the grid. Once we get to an industrial scale for wire production, I fully expect that we can make large systems that will make a major contribution to sustainable energy production.– Jun Yao
In conclusion,the researchers plan to develop a small Air-gen patch that can power electronic wearable like the smart watches and the fitness monitor, thereby eliminating the use of traditional batteries.
I hope you enjoyed my post, do you think microbes can become the major source of electricity in the years to come?
Do you think this is an addition to the renewable energy?
Please share your thoughts on my post in the comment section.
Dear @mojubare
interesting choice of topic :) Difficult but interesting.
My impression always has been that authors of SF books and movies were always ground where ideas for real scientists would start. Their imagination would push science in some particular direction and often things which were considered Sci-Fi "yesterday" have become reality today.
Seriously following some advancements in technology is making me both: exited and terrified. I wonder if in 20 years we will still understand the world we're living in.
Upvoted already, enjoy your weekend,
Yours, Piotr
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Yeah, I really think so too, you know how much scientist love to try new things and always prove a point, so whenever they see something that interest them they act on it immediately.
The scary part is just that the world is changing and evolving really fast, we just hope that things are treated with caution and as @reinaldoverdu rightly mentioned, it is important that ethics is applied.
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The combination of self-driving electric cars and commercial Air-gen means no need to recharge the car as it would work infinite except there is a fault.
Science is really impressive and i must say sometimes scary.
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Yes it is @ojerinde, we can only hope that with technological test, our safety is greatly considered.
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Resteemed already. Upvote on the way :)
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This is what i am talking about, renewable energy. We need to go ahead if large hydro power or using Petroleum products to fuel generators. Having the Air-gen in houses to power appliances and in industries for industrial purposes will be a great plus for the invention.
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Yes it would definitely, thanks for your contribution.
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Hi @mojubare
science fiction seems to start falling short of reality. For me we are about to evolve as a race, for all these changes and technologies that are being presented to us.
I believe that we must have ethics, because I find it fascinating and at the same time I feel terrified that these advances can be used to massively destroy humanity. Just imagining a quantum AI that intersects with one of these bacteria worries me a lot. But it is a possibility and we must work on it.
Excellent approach
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I love the use of the world 'ethics', because like you have mentioned correctly, we need to be mindful of the rate at which we allow technology take over us completely. As much as I love AI and technological advancement, I always hope that we strike a balance between their usage so they do not harm us in any way.
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I didn't get the point, where the energy comes from, as there is no perpetuum mobile. If it is, that water condenses, (which brings in energy), than the substrate is somewhen filled up.
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From the post, It is a combination of biology and engineering.
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You know science and technology is greatly used together on several occasions.
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Hey @mojubare
This is such an interesting post. I like the idea so much and it seems to have a lot of promise. We all really need this type of development to help ween us off our fossil fuel addiction. It does seem to be a little sci-fi though but let's hope that the scientists can made it scale sufficiently.
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I am glad you liked the post and yes the fossil fuel addiction really needs to be weened off.
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The Air-gen connects electrodes to the protein nanowires in such a way that electrical current is generated from the water vapor naturally present in the atmosphere.
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