A new study suggests that there is a new way to charge your cell phone and laptop without electricity. Instead of plugging your device into an electric outlet, try charging your battery using substances found in food such as vegetable oil and table sugar. Your battery will not just be powerful but also eco-friendly.
Lots of techie people are sure to disagree with the idea, especially those who don't have time for this kind of "silliness," but the proponents of this project announced at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) that they have made a breakthrough in the use of natural biological energy as a substitute for electricity. They say that sugar and fats can now be turned into a source of power for your gadgets.
The scientists who made a breakthrough are naturally proud of what they did. "This is the first demon-stration of a new class of bio-fuel cells," said Dr. Shelley Minteer, chemist from Saint Louis University. "When further developed, these devices have the potential for replacing disposable and rechargeable batteries in a wide variety of consumer electronics and other products. It is the first such device based on one of the microscopic parts of the billions upon billions of cells that make up the body," she added.
Going into the details, Minteer said that there are little organs in the human body called membrane-enclosed mitochondria whose function is to convert food into chemical energy. Also called "power-houses behind cells,"Mitochondria have the ability to keep the human body alive.
The incredible little organs perform their function with the help of pyruvate. It is a chemical that helps produce ATP or adenosine triphosphate. ATP is the substance that enables the human body to keep the energy in some place until it is needed. It functions like a closet in which various clothes are kept. When the time comes, ATP will open its door and bring out the natural energy to carry out a task. The body produces ATP approximately the same amount of its weight every day.
Knowing what Mitochondria and ATP can do, Minteer set up a group of experts and work on how to use these little organs in the human body to come out with the first mitochondria-type fuel cell, which implies that this type of cell is qualified to be a source of energy.
The result of Minteer's project is a device built with a thin surface of mitochondria, squeezed between two layers of electronic conductors. The bio-fuel energy operates with vegetable oil, tree sap, flat sodas and sugar – either sucrose or glucose. Although the former works better, Minteer said.
The female chemist said that the first demonstration of power of bio-fuel energy can be seen on cell phone charger. It is designed for active mobile users. Dr. Minteer also said that these devices work best when filled with sugar-based mixture.
But bio-fuel energy is not confined to cell phones. They can also serve as sources of energy for temperature sensors, motion detection and hidden explosives.
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