IIT bio cell’s double duty: water treatment and power

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur, India, have developed a bio cell (battery), which they say can treat sewage water and generate electricity, the Times of India reported today.

They have received acknowledgment from the Indian government’s Ministry of Science and Technology as well as a cash award of Rs 3 lakh ($6,500) to continue their patent-pending research. They are also planning to develop a company to further the technology.

The unique bio cell, in the form of a plant, can accommodate sewage water from a housing complex. The cell, called LOCUS, grows millions of anaerobic bacteria that multiply through respiration. The bacteria clean the sewage water, and in the process generate free electrons, the Times reported. The electrons can then be harnessed to produce electricity.

The team, including students Manoj Mandelia, Prateek Jain, Shobhit Singhal, Pulkit Anand, Mohan Yama, and biotech faculty member Debabrata Das spent more than a year on the concept before entering it into the Ministry’s business plan competition. They placed second in the contest, focused on using biotechnology products for sustainable development.

The cell can clean 50,000 liters of sewage water, which is about the amount generated from 100 flats in India in a given day. The water has household applications, however, it isn’t safe for human consumption.

While the researchers have successfully been able to generate electricity, they will be looking to do it on a larger scale in 2010.

The concept isn’t unheard of. The Solar Cube, a cooperative project by Spectra Watermakers and Trunz Metallchnik, offers clean drinking water and emergency electricity from polluted water or salt water (see Solar powered water desalination device for emergency relief).

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