Bio-power. Electricity from food.

There are essensially two ways for a living organism to gain energy. One is by photosynthesizing light, and the other is by eating. Now most people use the term 'energy' a little diffrent when it comes to living creatures rather than technology. 'I feel energetic today' does not imply one could charge his smartphone with their body... But at a cellular level, energy means Hydrogen Ion Gradient, wich of course is Voltage!



After a few courses in biology, I learnt a thing or two about Mitochondria and how they work. Cellular Respiration and Citric Acid Cycle are what turn the sugar in our food, into Transmembrane potential. If I am not mistaken that means that we can theoretically stick two electrodes in the sides of the inner mitochondrial membrane and power, through them, a tiny tiny TINY-LED.

Today, Photovoltaics, that mimic the process of photosynthesis are the greenest  source of energy we have. But what also could be really green, is to be able to utilize Cellular Respiration, to create electricity. Imagine generators than instead of "fueled" they must be "fed". A typical 150g rice serving has 240kcal of energy that equates to 96 AA bateries.

So imagine a time whe instead of coal mines and petroleum we would once again rely in old fashioned farming (rice maybe? wheat? even potatoes, anything rich in carbohydrates) to satisfy our needs. Instead of all those power plants relying in fossil fuel, we would rid the atmosphere from CO2, promoting photosynthesis. And when I say "rid", I dont mean "reduce CO2 production" but "reduce CO2 levels" since photosynthesis consumes CO2.

Does this sound too far fetched? In 2003, Japanese researchers at Panasonic's Nanotechnology Research Laboratory announced that they were working on extracting power from blood glucose. At the time, they were using enzymes -- a frequent component of bio-batteries due to their catalytic properties -- to retrieve electrons from glucose. Two years later, a different Japanese research team, this one from Tohoku University, announced that they had succeeded in creating a small "biological fuel cell." Their cell could be used to power small medical devices, such as an implant to measure blood sugar levels in diabetics. Future versions of such technology could, like RPI's nanocomposite paper, be used to power an artificial heart with the blood that flows through and around it.

Sony went one step further. They have already developed battery cells that get power from glucose solutions, energy drinks or even paper, to power small fans, mp3 players (and even their speakers). These cells are reported to produce up to 50mW.

So even though a bio-battery is still a science project, it wont be long before we see it commercially available. And then think big, think green. Bio-power plants. Besides, Benjamin Franklin's research on electricity was less than a science project since noone funded his work.