Scientists just created a biodegradable battery using mushrooms — and it actually works
Scientists in Switzerland will have you thinking twice before saying "hold the mushrooms" on your next food order.
That's because the researchers have successfully created a fungal device that can power small sensors, functioning as a "living battery." It's part of fascinating findings from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, that showcase the untapped power of the fungal community.
Empa's team noted that various kinds of organisms can produce pathogens, while others can provide medicines. When it comes to electricity, two types have been combined to turn nutrients into energy. The non-toxic, puck-shaped power-maker then safely "digests itself" after its work is complete. Use examples include powering small sensors, or temperature monitors, for a couple of days, according to an Empa news release.
The fungi are combined with "ink" and formed into a battery using a 3D printer, a process highlighted in an Empa video clip.
"For the first time, we have combined two types of fungi to create a functioning fuel cell," Empa researcher Carolina Reyes said in the release.
Some of the battery parts will sound familiar to anyone with knowledge of common lithium-ion tech. A yeast fungus serves as the anode, with a metabolism that releases electrons. A white rot fungus forms the cathode. It makes a "special enzyme" that captures electrons, conducting them out of the cell, according to the Empa experts.
"You can store the fungal batteries in a dried state and activate them on location by simply adding water and nutrients," Reyes said. The report added that simple sugars are good nutrient sources, essentially feeding the fungi as part of the electricity-generating process.
Crafting an ink that maximized fungal conductivity was a challenge. Cellulose was found to be a suitable base. What's more, the fungi use it in the biodegradable process that ends the cell's functional life, according to the release.
The ink "has to be easy to extrude without killing the cells — and of course we want it to be electrically conductive and biodegradable," lab head Gustav Nyström said.
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Mushrooms are getting attention in other sectors, too. In the U.K., a Newcastle University team is working on a fungus-based concrete alternative. A project in Namibia is using the organism in a process to make a cleaner brick.
While small, the fungal batteries are evidence that the next energy-transforming innovation could come from an unlikely place. A salt battery in China can amazingly power 12,000 homes, for example. It's all part of the way our power system can operate with a reduced amount of heat-trapping air pollution as a harmful byproduct.
It's important that we reduce and eliminate planet-warming gases, which are linked by NASA and other experts to greater risks for severe weather and a range of human medical concerns, including lung and heart ailments.
Cardio/respiratory health, as well as air quality, can be aided by some simple movement that almost anyone can enjoy. You can cut 600 pounds of air pollution annually by walking a couple of miles each day instead of driving. That's in addition to improving your health and shaving your fuel expenses.
For Empa's part, the team now plans to improve the power of its mushroom battery, increasing its output and lifespan.
"Fungi are still under-researched and under-utilized, especially in the field of materials science," the experts said in the news release.
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