A group at the Institute of Microbiology of CAS has described a novel microbial fuel cell. Genetically modified cyanobacteria assimilate CO2 in visible light to form D-lactic acid, which they cannot utilize and excrete into the medium. A second microorganism, Shewanella bacteria, oxidises the D-lactic acid and conducts the electrons formed via a membrane protein complex to an electrode. In this way, the bacterial consortium produced an unprecedented average energy density of 135 mW.m2 for 40 days.
Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12190-w
Strain-engineered bacterial consortium drives fuel cell