Eco Factor: Palladium to be used to generate clean energy.
Researchers from the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham have discovered new techniques that will enable common soil bacteria to recover precious metals from industrial waste sources. The bacterium, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, can recover palladium from metallic waste, which is used in many catalytic systems.
Desulfovibrio desulfuricans can reduce palladium in waste into metallic nanoparticles with biocatalytic activity. Hydrogenase enzymes located on the surface membrane of the bacterium carry out the reduction of palladium, which results in the accumulation of catalytic nanoparticles. The bacterial cells coated with palladium nanoparticles are known as ‘BioPd.”
This BioPd can be used in generating clean energy and also as a catalyst for the treatment of pollutants such as chromium, which is used in the paint industry. Moreover, BioPd can also be used in the PEM fuel cell to make clean electricity from hydrogen.
Via: Physorg
