In The Matrix, human beings are a literal (and metaphorical) power source – specifically, they supply bio-electricity to our AI overlords. Fortunately, enslavement to robotic masters in a virtual-reality prison is completely unnecessary for biochemistry to power our machines. Instead, all we need is sugar and vitamins.
In a paper that was recently published in the journal American Chemical Society Energy Letters, lead author Jong-Hwa Shon and his co-authors at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Argonne National Laboratory describe their innovative use of glucose and riboflavin (Vitamin B2) in the creation of a biofuel flow cell which functions similarly to a human cell. They’ve replaced the standard noble metal catalysts such as gold and platinum with humble, wholesome riboflavin.
Given the price difference between a kilogram of glucose powder (about US$20) and a kilogram of platinum (about $52,000), the new method is an inexpensive, ecologically friendly approach that doesn’t require mining or a global transportation network. So, while you can’t shout, “There’s gold in them thar Vitamin B/sugar batteries!” – there are lucrative savings and massive benefits.
New Atlas has previously reported on innovation in green energy storage, as with a Berkeley Lab breakthrough that coaxed bacteria into directly producing a new biofuel with an energy density significantly higher than jet fuel, and another glucose biofuel cell from Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France that can power artificial organs and thus not rely on unpleasant, unsightly, and unhygienic external batteries.
While glucose has already worked as a biofuel with unique advantages, including low-temperature electricity generation, easy accessibility, low storage cost, and adaptability for on-demand power generation, and riboflavin has been a key enzyme cofactor in many metabolic reactions, the battery from Shon’s team is far, far more powerful than similar, previous glucose-based biofuel cells, which also came with the massive problem of financially and environmentally costly noble metals.
In alkaline conditions and when operating with an O2 electrode, the new flow cell achieves a peak power density of 13 mW/cm2. In fact, at room temperature and ambient pressure it’s 20 times greater than the previously reported value under similar conditions. For a world eager to switch to renewable energy, any battery offering affordable, clean residential energy storage made from abundant natural materials is a major leap forward.
So, how does the new flow cell work? Human cells – like all animal cells – use enzymes to lower activation energy in reactions and thus increase reaction rates. As a mediator, riboflavin cycles electrons from the battery’s electrodes and the glucose electrolyte, creating an electrochemical flow from the sugar’s energy. And since nature readily produces glucose storage in the form of plants, there’s no need to engage in labor-exploitation and environmental destruction to mine and transport metals from the other side of the planet.
Instead, we can just go to the farm for the supplies to build the new glucose-riboflavin biofuel cells. Even better, because they’re 20 times more powerful than previous versions (because riboflavin is stable at the basic pH needed by electrolytes in glucose flow cells), these batteries have major potential for energy-intensive industrial use.
So, in the near future when your electricity-powered devices and homes are getting hangry, you won’t need to worry about them draining your bank account. Just let them sip as many electrons as they crave from your sugary-Vitamin B2 batteries, and plug in all the televisions, computers, refrigerators, and rechargers as you want. The biosphere will thank you.
Source: American Chemical Society
