Scientists Use Electricity to Feed Bacteria for Sustainable Supplement Production
Wageningen, Thursday, 22 January 2026.
Wageningen University researchers have secured NWO funding to explore a groundbreaking biotechnology approach: powering purple bacteria with electrical energy instead of traditional organic materials to produce valuable compounds like nutritional supplements and co-enzyme Q10. This innovative method could revolutionize how we manufacture everything from food supplements to pharmaceutical ingredients, potentially making production more sustainable and efficient by using electricity as a direct energy source for bacterial growth and compound synthesis.
A Biotechnology Innovation at the Intersection of Multiple Industries
This research represents a convergence of biotechnology, agritech, and healthtech innovations. The project falls primarily into the biotechnology and healthtech categories, as it focuses on developing new methods for producing nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical compounds [1]. The research specifically targets the production of valuable substances including proteins, amino acids, dyes, and co-enzyme Q10 - compounds widely used in the food supplement and pharmaceutical industries [1]. The innovation announced on January 19, 2026, demonstrates how traditional agricultural biotechnology is evolving to incorporate electrical engineering principles for sustainable production methods.
The Science Behind Electrical Bacterial Feeding
Purple bacteria naturally produce valuable compounds by growing on light and carbon dioxide through photosynthesis [1]. However, Professor Annemiek ter Heijne’s research takes this process a step further by introducing electricity as an additional energy source. As ter Heijne explains, “That electricity acts as an extra energy source. We want to know if the bacteria grow faster or more efficiently as a result, and if it influences which substances they produce” [1]. The concept builds on ter Heijne’s previous work with microorganisms that can absorb or produce electricity, including systems used in wastewater treatment where her team successfully converted CO₂ into methane using electrical energy [1]. The research aims to determine whether this bioelectrical approach can enhance both the growth rate and efficiency of purple bacteria while potentially steering them toward producing specific valuable compounds.
Research Leadership and International Collaboration
The project is led by Professor Annemiek ter Heijne, a specialist in Environmental Technology at Wageningen University, located in Wageningen, Netherlands [1]. The research represents a Dutch-Belgian collaboration, with the University of Antwerp serving as the international partner [1]. The funding comes through NWO’s Open Competition Domain Science – M (Weave), specifically designed for international collaborative projects [1][2]. Two PhD researchers will conduct the work: one at Wageningen University focusing on the effects of adding electricity to purple bacteria alongside light and carbon, and another in Antwerp studying bacterial growth rates under different conditions and searching for variants with favorable properties [1]. The project received over 400,000 euros in funding as part of twenty innovative research projects announced in January 2026 [2].
Technical Challenges and Sustainable Production Benefits
The research faces significant technical hurdles, particularly in reactor design. Ter Heijne acknowledges that “it is difficult to design a reactor vessel in which bacteria everywhere get the same amount of light and electricity. One part quickly gets more light, the other more electricity” [1]. Despite these challenges, the potential benefits for sustainable production are substantial. The approach could revolutionize biotechnology by eliminating the need for traditional organic feedstocks, instead using electrical energy to drive bacterial production of valuable compounds [1]. As ter Heijne notes, the research offers “the chance to explore a completely innovative topic together with a new partner, and to see if we can recover valuable substances in a new way – essentially from almost nothing” [1]. This method could provide more environmentally friendly alternatives for producing nutritional supplements, dyes, and proteins while reducing reliance on conventional agricultural or chemical synthesis methods.