Geobacter

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Bdellovibrio

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Proteobacteria
Class:	Delta Proteobacteria
Order:	Desulfuromonadales
Family:	Geobacteraceae
Genus:	Geobacter

Geobacter is a genus of proteobacteria. Geobacter are an anaerobic respiration bacterial species which have capabilities that may make them useful in bioremediation. The geobacter was found to be the first organism with the ability to oxidize organic compounds and metals, including iron, radioactive metals and petroleum compounds into environmentally benign carbon dioxide while using iron oxide or other available metals as electron acceptor. The Geobacter is under continuing research for a variety of applications, discussed below.

1 History
2 Potential and actual applications
3 Popular culture
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Geobacter metallireducens was first isolated by Derek Lovley in 1987 in sand sediment from the Potomac River in Washington D.C. The first strain was deemed strain GS-15. Geobacter have been found in anaerobic conditions in soils and aquatic sediment.

[edit] Potential and actual applications

Research on the potential of the Geobacter is underway and on-going. The Geobacter's ability to consume oil-based pollutants and radioactive material with carbon dioxide as waste by-product has already been used in environmental clean-up for underground petroleum spills and for the precipitation of uranium out of groundwater. The Geobacter metabolizes the material by creating "pili," columns the width of a 3-5 nanometers that act as conduits to pass electrons between the food material and the Geobacter. This manner of consumption has also lead scientists to theorize that the Geobacter could act as a natural battery. This natural battery could use renewable biomass such as compost materials, or be used to convert human and animal solid waste into electricity.

There are also potential applications in the field of nanotechnology for the creation of nanowires in very small circuits and electronic devices. The miniature wires could also be connected, creating a microscopic power grid. (Reguera, et al. 2005)

[edit] Popular culture

Geobacter are used as a plot device in the first episode of the third season of ReGenesis.

[edit] References

Reguera G, McCarthy KD, Mehta T, Nicoll JS, Tuominen MT, Lovley DR (2005). "Extracellular electron transfer via microbial nanowires". Nature 435 (7045): 1098-101. PMID 15973408.