Bioenergy from metallic ores

Oeiras, 20.07.10

Some bacteria breathe metals and researchers thrive to give use to the energy they generate. In a recent edition of Dalton Transactions, researchers from the Inorganic Biochemistry and NMR lab review the known molecular details of electron transfer occurring during respiration in metal reducing bacteria. The researchers’ perspective is highlighted in the cover of the journal.

Respiration of metallic ores by sediment bacteria involves a complex network of redox proteins and has the potential to be used for clean energy production in microbial fuel cells. The molecular details of the electron-transfer properties of the proteins in these unusual respiratory chains is being studied in the Inorganic Biochemistry and NMR group in the framework of the MIT-Portugal program.

Original Article

Dalton Trans., 2010, 39, 4259 - 4266, DOI: 10.1039/b917952f

Molecular details of multielectron transfer: the case of multiheme cytochromes from metal respiring organisms

Catarina M. Paquete and Ricardo O. Louro