Life on Earth has long been understood to run on two main energy sources. One comes from sunlight, captured by photosynthesis. The other comes from chemical reactions, such as microbes feeding on reduced compounds in soils, sediments, and oceans. A new review suggests there is a third, largely overlooked energy source that could quietly help drive Earth’s biogeochemical cycles: mechanical force.
In a paper published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes , researchers propose a new framework called mechano biogeochemistry. The idea is simple but powerful. Natural mechanical forces, including flowing rivers, ocean waves, tides, and even seismic activity, can be converted into electrical energy through the piezoelectric effect. Certain minerals generate electric charges when they are squeezed, bent, or vibrated. Microorganisms can then use those electrons to fuel metabolism.
“For decades, we have explained microbial activity mainly through light and chemical energy,” said corresponding author Shungui Zhou. “Our review shows that mechanical energy is everywhere in the environment and may act as a hidden driver of microbial processes that shape global element cycles.”
The researchers describe a two step energy pathway. First, mechanical forces deform piezoelectric materials such as quartz, barium titanate, or zinc oxide, generating electrons. Second, electroactive microorganisms capture those electrons through specialized electron transfer systems on their cell surfaces. This process allows microbes to grow and carry out chemical reactions even in the absence of sunlight or traditional chemical fuels.
Evidence for this mechanism has been growing across multiple laboratory studies. Experiments show that mechanically stimulated piezoelectric materials can support microbial carbon fixation, nitrogen transformation, sulfate reduction, methane production, and even pollutant degradation. In some systems, microbes convert carbon dioxide into biomass or bioplastics using only mechanical energy as the primary driver.
“This helps explain how microbial life can persist in extremely energy limited environments, such as deep subsurface sediments or the deep ocean,” said co author Lingyu Meng. “Mechanical forces do not stop at the surface. They penetrate deep into Earth’s crust and may continuously supply small but meaningful amounts of energy.”
The framework also offers new perspectives on early Earth. Before oxygen and sunlight powered complex ecosystems, mechanical processes such as sediment grinding and tectonic movement were already active. These processes may have produced reactive molecules and electrical gradients that helped early microbes survive and evolve. According to the authors, this could have provided stepping stones toward modern metabolic pathways.
Beyond basic science, mechano biogeochemistry may have practical implications. Harnessing mechanical energy could lead to low energy wastewater treatment, carbon capture technologies, and sustainable biomanufacturing. For example, water flow or vibration could replace energy intensive aeration in some treatment systems, while simultaneously supporting beneficial microbial activity.
The authors emphasize that mechano biogeochemistry does not replace existing theories of microbial energetics. Instead, it complements them by filling gaps where light and chemical energy are scarce.
“Our goal is to integrate physics, geology, materials science, and microbiology into a unified view of how Earth works,” Zhou said. “Mechanical energy has always been there. We are just beginning to recognize its biological significance.”
The researchers note that major challenges remain, including measuring how much mechanical energy contributes to natural ecosystems and scaling laboratory findings to real environments. Still, they argue that recognizing this hidden energy source could change how scientists understand life’s resilience on Earth and potentially on other planets.
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Journal reference: Meng L, Xie L, Yuan Y, Zhou S. 2026. The hidden mechanistic hand: the mechanical force that drives global biogeochemical cycles. Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes 2: e003 doi: 10.48130/ebp-0025-0020
https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/ebp-0025-0020
About the Journal:
Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes (e-ISSN 3070-1708) is a multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on the interactions and processes involving the cycling of elements and compounds between the biological, geological, and chemical components of the environment.
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The hidden mechanistic hand: the mechanical force that drives global biogeochemical cycles
20-Jan-2026