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UEA researchers make breakthrough in race to create ‘bio-batteries’
26.03.2013

Biochemist Liang Shi of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory said: “We developed a unique system so we could mimic electron transfer like it happens in cells. The electron transfer rate we measured was unbelievably fast — it was fast enough to support bacterial respiration.” The finding is also important for understanding how carbon works its way through the atmosphere, land and oceans. “When organic matter is involved in reducing iron, it releases carbon dioxide and water. And when iron is used as an energy source, bacteria incorporate carbon dioxide into food. If we understand electron transfer, we can learn how bacteria controls the carbon cycle,” said Shi.