Borole Abhijeet P, O'Neill Hugh, Tsouris Costas, Cesar Scott
Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6226, USA.
Biotechnol Lett. 2008 Aug;30(8):1367-72. doi: 10.1007/s10529-008-9700-y. Epub 2008 Mar 27.
For the first time, a microbial fuel cell has been developed using an acidophile, Acidiphilium cryptum, as the anode biocatalyst. Electricity production using its natural electron acceptor, iron, as the electron mediating agent at pH values < or =4.0 was demonstrated. Accumulation of Fe(III) at the electrode, however, restricted current output. The combination of nitrilotriacetic acid and Phenosafranin as electron mediators increased the power output to 12.7 mW/m(2) in a two-chamber air-sparged fuel cell. Direct electron transfer from the microorganisms to the anode was also investigated but was not detected under the conditions studied.
