A miniature biofuel cell can generate electricity using the sugars in grapes, according to researchers in Japan.
The device has a needle bioanode that can be inserted into the grape, and a gas diffusion biocathode that uses oxygen in the air to oxidise the sugars. The maximum power produced was 26.5µW at 0.34V, which was used to power a light emitting diode (LED), which indicated the level of sugar in the grape.
The device could be used in the same way to test blood sugar levels (a test was done by inserting the needle into an animal vein) to monitor health.
Read this exciting EES paper now:
Enzymatic biofuel cells designed for direct power generation from biofluids in living organisms
T Miyake, K Haneda, N Nagai, Y Yatagawa, H Onami, S Yoshino, T Abe and M Nishizawa,
Energy Environ. Sci., 2011
DOI: 10.1039/c1ee02200h
