Alternative energy is bolder rage and it makes sense to take this technology and apply it to his many possible industries as possible. Alternative energy can be many things; it can be solar power, hydroelectric, wind power or believe that are not even bacteria power. Bacteria power you say? Well, did you know that most carwashes recycle their water? In fact many carwashes use bacteria to clean the wastewater. Many people use bacteria in their septic tanks and because of this the septic tanks never fill up. Pretty exciting isn’t it; the solid waste to his eaten by the bacteria and the water flows into leach lines with rock and gravel and enters into the groundwater where it is further cleaned naturally by the soil.

Now then, let's talk about carwashes shall we? Many carwashes have closed loop systems and in these systems the water is cleaning and re-filtered and used again. The sludge or the heavy dirt along with the soaps and detergents use eaten by the bacteria. During the oxidation process of the bacteria eating the sludge it releases electrons. Which can be used as power the study, research project and white paper from Penn State University states;

“. . .insert a fuel cell with carbon anodes in oxygen free sludge. The bacteria adhere to the anodes, which harvest the electrons to produce a current that flows through a wire to a cathode.”

Could this possibly be enough to power up the entire carwash? Maybe not, however it would be enough to run the lights, signage and some public carwash processes, which were electric with hydraulic assist. Much of the power output would depend on the amount of bacteria, the size of the sludge tank and the rate at which the sludge in the tank was returned by washing future cars. Please consider this in 2006.