Ohio State microbiologists discover energy production capability in bacteria that digests toxic metals

In Ohio, microbiologists at Ohio State University reported in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology they have discovered how a bacterium called Shewanella oneidensis metabolizes toxic metals by placing metal-digesting enzymes on the outside of cell walls (as opposed to inside, in the case of most organisms). The bacteria take in toxic metals and exhale non-toxic metals. The cells generate a trace amount of electricity as they consume toxic waste, making them promising as biofuel factories.

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