Could a microorganism reproduce so fast that it can be used as a sustainable "burnable" fuel source?

[Repost to condense question down] For a science fiction world of mine I am considering using a type of microscopic organism that is able to generate energy as it goes through its lifecycle, a life cycle so fast that a group of them would be in a constant state of reproducing, decaying, and producing fuel or energy.

So, could a microorganism (bacteria or otherwise) theoretically have a life cycle so fast that it can grow at a rate it can be "burned"? (This is ignoring possible overpopulation and ecological takeover.)

I would provide more details but nothing is really set in stone for my plans with it yet. I just want to try and get a good idea of if something like this is possible.

[Please note I want to stay as close to scientifically plausible as I can, but some creativity is welcome]

Edit: Thank you to everyone who answered, all of the ideas given were great! In the end I chose the one that fit the best into the story! Thank you all again for helping out and for sharing some really interesting ideas!

posted over 5 years ago

SentiCarter‭

1 reputation 6 0 0 0