First experimental confirmation that some microbes are powered by electricity
In microbial electrosynthesis, microorganisms use CO2 and electricity to produce alcohol, for example. How this process works biologically, however, has only been speculated about, until now. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) have now been able to confirm experimentally for the first time that the bacteria use electrons from hydrogen and can produce more chemical substances than previously known. Their research has been published in the journal Green Chemistry.