1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

on pure cyanide, and they quickly solved
the pollution problem.
Many communities that have found that
their increasing volume of sewage is pol.
luting streams and rivers are establishing
sewage treatment plants. Here, with the
aid of bacteria, the sewage is treated and
the liquid that is finally dumped into a
river or stream is free of contamination.
In the treatment process air is applied to
settled sewage for several hours, during
which time bacteria act as oxidizing
agent'>, changing the suspended matter in·
to a granular brown mass that settles to
the bottom of the treatment tank. The
sediment is activated sludge that consists
largely of microorganisms. They make it
possible to convert sewage into uncon·
taminated water.
Source of Power
Of all the useful services bacteria are
capable of rendering to man, the most sur·
prising is just now being discovered. It is
electrical power. Automobiles, ships and
even entire cities could be supplied with
ample electrical power by bacteria. That
this is feasible has been proved by what is
called the biochemical fuel cell.
One of the pioneer developers of the bio·
chemical fuel cell is Dr. Frederick D. Sis·
leI' of the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1961
he succeeded in getting some electricity
from two test tubes containing bacteria,
organic matter and seawater. In one of
his experiments, he obtained sufficient elec·
tricity to operate a small radio transmitter.
The biochemical fuel cell differs from
the chemical fuel cell in that it uses bac·
teria and organic matter to get electricity.
The chemical fuel cell generates electricity
directly from chemicals and chemical re·
action. In the process hydrogen and oxygen
are combined to form water. These
same gases are involved in the biochemical
APRIL 8, 196ft
fuel cell, but they are combined by bacte·
rial action.
All organic material contains hydrogen,
and when bacteria feed upon such mate·
rial, hydrogen is forced to combine with
oxygen. Bacterial enzymes appear to pull
electrons from hydrogen atoms and to give
them to oxygen atoms during the process
of decomposition of organic matter. Although
this process produces heat and not
electricity, it is in this transfer of elec·
trons that the biochemical fuel cell becomes
possible.
By preventing hydrogen electrons from
getting to oxygen until they have first
passed through a wire circuit, researchers
were able to get electricity from the biochemical
fuel cell. Three test tubes of
greenish seawater \vere able, in one experiment,
to put out a current of two volts.
On a feeding of only one gram of sugar
the bacteria in these tubes were capable of
generating electricity for two months or
more.
According to Dr. Sisler, bacteria action
on chemicals in seawater creates electrical
currents in the seas that man could use.
Re pointed out that the Black Sea is a rieh
source of such currents. If big enough electrodes
were put into it, the Black Sea could
serve as an immense biochemical battery
capable of supplying parts of Europe and
Asia with electrical power. On a smaller
scale, ships eQuId be designed to draw elec·
trieal power from the seawater under their
hulls and to use that power for sailing
about the world.
The uses to which electricity·producing
bacteria could be put are many. They could
be used for providing heat and light for
homes and even cities. From their own or·
ganic wastes cities could be provided with
electrical power while bacteria disposed of
the wastes. Such power could be produced
at a cost much less than power produced
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