The Energizer bacteria

Science & Technology Science & Nature
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Read this in WSJ. Will dig it up later. Here is what I recall. Seems too good to be true.

When a few grams of these bacteria, whhich are synthesized on some support, is wetter, the supported bacteria swells. The energy released is sufficient to lift a car a few feet.

Don’t know how this is possible. Even accounting for energy and resiurced used to produce the bacteria, this seems as close to perpetual motion as possible.

Am sure the resident scientists will stop by and slap me around for sloppy reporting. Will dig up details later.

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

Here are details.

Source WSJ Feb 8.
Peer reviewed ref:
"Bacillus Spores as Building bloccks for stimulii responsive matls and NANOGENERATORS" NATUR NANOTECH LETTERS JAN 26

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

Some bacteria survice water shortage by drying up like raisins and turn into spores. Moisten them and they swell.

They can shrink and swell multiple times.

Estimate by scientists - swelling force for I pound dry spores can lift 3 lb car.

Reality - rubbder sheet coated with spores subject to fan blowing dry and wet air. It ran a rotating magnet to generate energy.

So genetically engine leered strains may be used for generating energy.

This appears to be Philosophiiiiii's area if I recall.

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

So now for some back of the envelop sniff test.

One pound is 0.5 kg approx.
One car weighs 2000 lbs or 1000 kg - Honda Accord

Lifting 1000 kg for 3 feet - work calcs

Force is mass times acceleration.
1000 kg times 9.8 m/s^2 or 10000 N. Where N is Newtons unit of force in SI units

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

Work is Force times distance. 3 ft is approx 1m.

Work = 10000N times 1meter or 10000 N-M or 10000 Joules where Joules is unit of work in SI UNITS

From electricity we know 1 J = 1 Watt- sec

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

So 10000 J = 10000 W-S

Or 10000/3600 W-h. H is hours.

Or 2.8 Wh.

So 0.5 kg of bacteria store 2.8 Wh. Or only 5.6 Wh/kg.

This sucks.

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

Describing this as Renewable generation appears to be stretching the reality, to put it mildly. The spores expand and contract ONLY IN PRESENCE OF CHANGING relative humidity. If this occurs over a period of secmveral hours the stored energy released over a LONG DURATION. Accompanied by very low power, which would do a fine simulation of a 97 pound weekling.

To use this to generate electricity as needed, the eke tricity for fan blowers needs to be accounted for. Along with humidifier and drier energy.

In short this is ENERGY STORAGE. NOT RENEWABLE GENERSTION as the article claims. But still interesting work.

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Re: The Energizer bacteria

Very interesting!