Evaluación de pili bacteriano para la generación de electricidad mediante efecto hidrovoltaico

Abstract

The existence of emerging technologies for electricity generation has been the basis for improving Colombia's energy matrix, especially in the ZNI (Non-Interconnected Zones) where the so-called FNCER (Non-Interconnected Energy Networks) are implemented. However, researchers have shown that there is a potential superior to photovoltaic energy in so-called hydrovoltaic energy based on bacterial nanowires, which consists of the generation of an electrical potential due to the interaction of water molecules with a bacterial pili nanostructure matrix. This document seeks to evaluate the potential of P. aeruginosa pili for electricity generation through the hydrovoltaic effect. To this end, the pili are purified by precipitation, centrifugation, and dialysis, quantified by the Biuret method, characterized by SDS-PAGE, and subsequently used to design hydrovoltaic cells for comparison with the characteristics of a good hydrovoltaic material. This demonstrated compliance with the four characteristics and the generation of electricity; however, the voltage is reduced, which is associated with the low conductivity of the pili. This is a problem for which some solutions are proposed, and the potential of protein structures to generate electricity through the hydrovoltaic effect is discussed.