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Bacteria Powered Batteries

Posted by Hemos on from the it's-elementary-chemistry-my-dear-watson dept.

Agent Provocateur writes "SpaceDaily reports on a battery that is powered by chemical reactions caused by bacteria. A Pentagon-backed project, University of Massachusetts researchers Swades Chaudhuri, an Indian, and Derek Lovley, an American, say the battery's source is an underground bacterium that gobbles up sugar and converts its energy into electricity. Their prototype device ran flawlessly without refuelling for up to 25 days and is cheap and stable." The chemistry behind this thing isn't really that complex - keeping the bacteria alive and kicking during that time is prolly the tougher part - you can read more on Al Jazeera, and USA Today. Now, what about replacing this battery?

15 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Flux Capacitor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it on the back of a Delorean?

  2. Finally.... by dirkdidit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I finally have a use for all that old pizza stacked up in the corner of my room......

  3. Don't count on seeing it in your home anytime soon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "A clean green technology? Commie hippie anti-capitalist root-eating sons of socialists!" ::CEO starts having a heart attack::

  4. hmm by \\ · · Score: 5, Funny

    i wonder what the bastard will smell like.. if it isn't pleasant, might take a while to gain acceptance.

    then again, if it smells like garbage, maybe it could attract flies, and maybe the flies could feed it.. ah, that would be funny.

  5. I have the superpower by squarefish · · Score: 5, Funny

    to turn leftover food into gas!

    --
    Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
  6. Prior Art by AndroidCat · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been running my fridge that way for years now!

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  7. Great for UPS!!!! by dr.Flake · · Score: 5, Funny



    Imagine,

    a stack of left over pizza suspended by a magnet waiting above "the Pit". when the power drops, the pizza drops.... voila, instant power back-up...

    Need more power???, just add pizza.

    --
    Why are other peoples sig's always more witty ???
  8. Could the Colis be outcompeted? by jeorgen · · Score: 5, Funny
    Leftovers contain bacteria. What happens if the bacteria in the leftovers outcompete the battery bacteria. Would you need to treat the battery with antibiotics?

    /jeorgen

    1. Re:Could the Colis be outcompeted? by Megane · · Score: 5, Funny
      What happens if the bacteria in the leftovers outcompete the battery bacteria.

      It sure would bring a whole new meaning to the words "dead battery".

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  9. Thanks, but I'll wait for Mr Fusion by chegosaurus · · Score: 5, Funny

    A colony of e-coli bacteria? Like I don't already have enought of that shit floating round my kitchen.

  10. airline food... by coreman · · Score: 5, Funny

    will suddenly be in demand on long flights

  11. Re:picky by satsuke · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, lets keep our fictional facts straite.

  12. My battery died... by pcraven · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now when we say our battery died, we'll mean it literally.

  13. Scary. by cybermace5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Walk away from the conference table for a few seconds, when you come back there are no doughnuts left! Just a laptop and cell phone sitting there innocently. They'll never tell....

    --
    ...
  14. The Matrix is Real by toofanx · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . for the bacteria.