Exploring the power of microbes: the mud-battery project for high school students

ABSTRACT Microorganisms are expected to play vital roles in the development of sustainable societies, but this idea is still poorly understood by the general public. In addition, it would also be important for the future development of microbiology that young students understand this idea and become interested in microorganisms. To this end, we have initiated a citizen-science project known as “the mud-battery project,” in which junior high and high school students examine the ability of bacteria in mud to generate electric power using standardized mud-battery experimental kits supplied by the project. In schools and/or houses, students operate mud batteries using local mud taken around their residences and address their ideas on how high-power mud batteries can be constructed. Besides, according to results reported by the students, project researchers collect high-power mud batteries from students and use them for the isolation of novel and/or active electricity-generating bacteria with the expectation that these will contribute to the development of sustainable biotechnology processes, such as microbial fuel cells for generating electric power from food waste. In this way, students collaborate with microbiologists and take roles in advanced research projects toward the development of sustainable energy.