Scientists Feed Bacteria Electricity to Create Sustainable Supplements
Wageningen, Thursday, 29 January 2026.
Wageningen University researchers are pioneering a revolutionary approach to manufacturing by feeding purple bacteria electricity instead of traditional nutrients. This groundbreaking bioelectrochemical method could transform how we produce valuable compounds like nutritional supplements and pigments. The bacteria naturally create proteins, amino acids, and co-enzyme Q10 using light and carbon dioxide, but adding electricity as an extra energy source may accelerate growth and influence which substances they produce.
Dutch-Belgian Research Collaboration Secures Major Funding
Professor Annemiek ter Heijne, a Wageningen University environmental technologist, has secured funding through the NWO Open Competition Domain Science – M (Weave) program in collaboration with the University of Antwerp [1][2]. The research project received over 400,000 euros in funding and represents one of twenty projects selected for support through the NWO ENW-M grant this year [1]. This Dutch-Belgian partnership will appoint two PhD students to investigate whether purple bacteria can more efficiently produce valuable substances such as nutritional supplements and pigments by feeding them electricity [1][2]. The Weave program operates as an international collaboration where researchers submit joint proposals, with national funding organizations like NWO in the Netherlands and FWO in Flanders providing financial support to researchers in their respective countries [1].
Understanding Purple Bacteria’s Natural Production Capabilities
Purple bacteria represent a unique group of microorganisms with remarkable natural production capabilities [2]. These purple microbes naturally produce valuable substances including proteins, amino acids, dyes, and the popular nutritional supplement co-enzyme Q10 [1][2]. Similar to algae and plants, purple bacteria grow using light and carbon dioxide as their primary energy sources [1][2]. “That makes these bacteria interesting for sustainable production processes, but we still don’t understand enough about how to direct their growth and product formation in a targeted way,” explains ter Heijne [1]. The research builds on ter Heijne’s existing work with microorganisms that absorb or produce electricity, including applications in wastewater treatment and previous successful conversion of CO₂ into methane using electricity [1].
Bioelectrochemical Innovation: Adding Electricity to Biological Systems
The innovative approach involves providing purple bacteria with electricity as an additional energy source alongside their traditional diet of light and carbon dioxide [1][2]. “That current acts as an extra source of energy. We want to know whether the bacteria grow faster or more efficiently as a result, and whether it influences which substances they produce,” ter Heijne states [1]. Wageningen scientists will focus on studying the effects of adding electricity to purple bacteria, examining how this bioelectrochemical enhancement impacts both growth rates and the specific compounds produced [1]. This fundamental research aims to understand the precise mechanisms occurring when purple bacteria receive extra energy in the form of electricity [2].
Research Structure and Future Applications
The research project divides responsibilities between the two institutions, with one PhD student in Antwerp focusing on the bacteria themselves, studying growth rates, optimal conditions, and searching for unknown variants with favorable properties [1][2]. The Antwerp researcher will investigate external stimuli and identify bacterial variants that could enhance production capabilities [2]. The research is primarily fundamental in nature, with the team seeking to understand the underlying processes before developing practical applications [2]. “We krijgen de kans om samen met een nieuwe partner een compleet vernieuwend onderwerp te verkennen, En om te kijken of we op een nieuwe manier waardevolle stoffen kunnen terugwinnen – in feite uit bijna niets,” ter Heijne notes, highlighting the potential to recover valuable substances from minimal inputs [1]. This bioelectrochemical approach could revolutionize sustainable manufacturing by creating new pathways for producing supplements, dyes, and proteins while reducing environmental impact through the use of renewable electricity to power biological production processes [GPT].