How a Chinese lab used a saltwater-loving microbe to turn waste water into precious semiconductor materials
- Researchers discover trailblazing method to transform contaminated water into valuable chemicals using engineered bacteria
- Cheaper, eco-friendly production costs could open the door to more innovative chip manufacturing
The study, spearheaded by Professor Gao Xiang of the Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Lu Lu of the Harbin Institute of Technology in Shenzhen, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Sustainability on October 16.
However, the materials used to make semiconductors can be produced by genetically-engineered bacteria in waste water, and used in a wide range of applications, such as next-generation digital displays, solar panels and even medicine.
Still, the varied and complex composition of industrial waste water has posed a challenge when using it as a nutrient source for bacteria, and the limited production has resulted in costs that are more than 100 times the price of gold.
To find a better method, the researchers wanted to convert waste water pollutants into semiconductor biohybrids, which are made up of biological and non-biological components.
