Is it realistic to use microbial photosynthesis to produce electricity directly?

Abstract

There has long been interest in using microorganisms to generate electricity directly, in biologically driven electrochemical systems. The first such systems were operated with heterotrophic microorganisms and are known as microbial fuel cells. They rely on some of the electrons generated during metabolism being exported from the cell and collected by an anode. Microbial fuel cells offer the attractive possibility of simultaneously breaking down waste material and producing electricity, and have been used, for example, to produce power to illuminate lavatories from urine harvested there [1]. More recently, systems have been described that use photosynthetic microorganisms, rather than heterotrophs, to generate electricity [2-5]. How do they work and will they ever be useful?

Topics & Concepts