Revista de investigación en cromatografía

Novelties in Generation of Electricity by Living plants

Hari Kumar Naidu

The plants transform solar energy into organic matter which is transformed into electricity by electrochemically active bacteria in the fuel cell. The main process which helps plants to function as a source of electricity is Photosynthesis. “Photosynthesis” is a process carried out by plants in which light energy in fact solar energy is converted into chemical energy. The energy thus converted is stored in the form of sugars (organic compounds) such as glucose. The electrochemically active bacteria present in the soil oxidizes organic compound thus liberating the electrons. The Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell is a technology used for producing electricity from living plants. This technology is also called Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell (Plant MFC). Two carbon electrodes (anode & cathode) are inserted into the soil. The electrons liberated are flowing from anode to cathode via energy harvester. The electron after coming out of cathode helps in producing electricity. During photosynthesis process, plants absorb CO2 and release O2 into the atmosphere.When the plant is submerged in water, the CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere reacts with H2O and forms Glucose (C6 H12 O6). The glucose thus produced is stored in roots of plants. The roots of plants are present in rhizo-sphere. The rhizo-sphere is the narrow region of soil that is directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil micro -organisms. The rhizo- sphere contains many bacteria that feed on sloughed off plant cells, termed rhizo-deposition, and the proteins and sugars released  by roots. The electrochemically active bacteria such as protozoa and nematodes breaks down glucose into CO2 and H+ and e-