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Umar A, Mubeen M, Ali I, Iftikhar Y, Sohail MA, Sajid A, Kumar A, Solanki MK, Kumar Divvela P, Zhou L. Harnessing fungal bio-electricity: a promising path to a cleaner environment. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1291904. [PMID: 38352061 PMCID: PMC10861785 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1291904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Integrating fungi into fuel cell systems presents a promising opportunity to address environmental pollution while simultaneously generating energy. This review explores the innovative concept of constructing wetlands as fuel cells for pollutant degradation, offering a practical and eco-friendly solution to pollution challenges. Fungi possess unique capabilities in producing power, fuel, and electricity through metabolic processes, drawing significant interest for applications in remediation and degradation. Limited data exist on fungi's ability to generate electricity during catalytic reactions involving various enzymes, especially while remediating pollutants. Certain species, such as Trametes versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Galactomyces reessii, Aspergillus spp., Kluyveromyce smarxianus, and Hansenula anomala, have been reported to generate electricity at 1200 mW/m3, 207 mW/m2, 1,163 mW/m3, 438 mW/m3, 850,000 mW/m3, and 2,900 mW/m3, respectively. Despite the eco-friendly potential compared to conventional methods, fungi's role remains largely unexplored. This review delves into fungi's exceptional potential as fuel cell catalysts, serving as anodic or cathodic agents to mitigate land, air, and water pollutants while simultaneously producing fuel and power. Applications cover a wide range of tasks, and the innovative concept of wetlands designed as fuel cells for pollutant degradation is discussed. Cost-effectiveness may vary depending on specific contexts and applications. Fungal fuel cells (FFCs) offer a versatile and innovative solution to global challenges, addressing the increasing demand for alternative bioenergy production amid population growth and expanding industrial activities. The mechanistic approach of fungal enzymes via microbial combinations and electrochemical fungal systems facilitates the oxidation of organic substrates, oxygen reduction, and ion exchange membrane orchestration of essential reactions. Fungal laccase plays a crucial role in pollutant removal and monitoring environmental contaminants. Fungal consortiums show remarkable potential in fine-tuning FFC performance, impacting both power generation and pollutant degradation. Beyond energy generation, fungal cells effectively remove pollutants. Overall, FFCs present a promising avenue to address energy needs and mitigate pollutants simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisha Umar
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Mustansar Mubeen
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Iftikhar Ali
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yasir Iftikhar
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Aamir Sohail
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ashara Sajid
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Ajay Kumar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Manoj Kumar Solanki
- Department of Life Sciences and Biological Sciences, IES University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Plant Cytogenetics and Molecular Biology Group, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | | | - Lei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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Bashir S, Houf W, Liu JL, Mulvaney SP. 3D Conducting Polymeric Membrane and Scaffold Saccharomyces cerevisiae Biofilms to Enhance Energy Conversion in Microbial Fuel Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:20393-20403. [PMID: 34962123 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c20445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can spontaneously convert chemical energy into electricity using biocatalytic microorganisms and organic matter as fuel feedstocks. Three-dimensional cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol)-based membranes were produced by a sol-gel method under homogeneous catalysis and used as the electrolyte to facilitate effective proton conduction. Under dry conditions, these polymeric membranes showed high water uptake (120%) and ionic conductivity (2.815 mS cm-1). In the anode compartment, the scaffold Saccharomyces cerevisiae film biocatalysts were used to improve electron transfer to the cathode, using three major configurations to generate a higher power output. It was found that the graphene anchoring, red light (RL) stimulation, and methylene blue (MB) mediation-enhanced device performance. The electrochemically derived graphene improved the power and current density by 40% because of its high conductivity. The RL stimulation increased the power density by 80% because of a shortened electron flow path to complex III. The MB mediation also yielded a higher current density by 340% because MB can bypass the electron flow from complex II to cytochrome c and transfer electrons directly to complex III. The individual and collective increase in power output was due to more efficient electron flow from the electronic network permeating the biofilm. The generated electrons were transferred either to graphene as an energy-efficient direct transfer mode or to methylene blue as a long-range redox mediator for indirect transfer. Red light stimulation enhanced oxygen utilization efficiency and stimulated electrons in redox proteins enhancing electron flux. These processes generated higher power through the more efficient generation of electrons and faster transport to the external circuit. As society migrates from gasoline consumption to low carbon-based fuels, the MFCs become important in producing electrical energy with low net emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajid Bashir
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, MSC 161, Kingsville, Texas 78363-8202, United States
| | - William Houf
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, MSC 161, Kingsville, Texas 78363-8202, United States
| | - Jingbo L Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, MSC 161, Kingsville, Texas 78363-8202, United States
- Texas A&M Energy Institute, Frederick E. Giesecke Engineering Research Building, 3372 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-3372, United States
| | - Shawn P Mulvaney
- Chemistry Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue Southwest, Washington, DC 20375-5342, United States
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Sarma H, Bhattacharyya P, Jadhav DA, Pawar P, Thakare M, Pandit S, Mathuriya AS, Prasad R. Fungal-mediated electrochemical system: Prospects, applications and challenges. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2021; 2:100041. [PMID: 34841332 PMCID: PMC8610361 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2021.100041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that generate bioelectricity from biodegradable waste have received considerable attention from biologists. Fungi play a significant role as both anodic and cathodic catalysts in MFCs. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a fungus with an ability to transfer electrons through mediators such as methylene blue (MB), neutral red (NR) or even without a mediator. This unique role of fungal cells in exocellular electron transfer (EET) and their interactions with electrodes hold a lot of promise in areas such as wastewater treatment where yeast cell-based MFCs can be used. The present article highlights the physico-chemical factors affecting the performance of fungal-mediated MFCs in terms of power output and degradation of organic pollutants, along with the challenges associated with fungal MFCs. In addition, to this comparative assessment of fungal-mediated bio-electrochemical systems, their development, possible applications and potential challenges are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemen Sarma
- Department of Botany, Nanda Nath Saikia College, Titabar 785630, Assam, India
| | - P.N. Bhattacharyya
- Mycology and Microbiology Department, Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Tea Research Association, Jorhat 785008, Assam, India
| | - Dipak A. Jadhav
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Aurangabad, 431010, India
| | - Prajakta Pawar
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410206, India
| | - Mayur Thakare
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 410206, India
| | - Soumya Pandit
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201306, India
| | - Abhilasha Singh Mathuriya
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201306, India
| | - Ram Prasad
- Department of Botany, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, 845401, Bihar, India
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Verma M, Mishra V. Recent trends in upgrading the performance of yeast as electrode biocatalyst in microbial fuel cells. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 284:131383. [PMID: 34216925 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an optimistic fuel cell technology that applies microorganism's biochemical catalytic activities in consuming organic substrate and produce electricity. In the past, several researchers have reported power generation from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but nowadays, most of the studies are centred around bacterial biofilms (prokaryotes) as anode biocatalyst. Yeast (a eukaryote) has also been applied as a biocatalyst in MFCs as they are non-pathogenic, easy to handle and tolerant to various environmental conditions. Yeast strains such as Arxula adeninvorans, Candida melibiosica, Hansenula polymorpha, Hansenula anomala, Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been utilized in MFCs. This review summarizes the application of yeast as an anode biocatalyst together with a discussion on the mechanism of electron transfer from yeast cells to the anode and highlights the techniques applied in improving the efficiency of yeast-based MFCs. The recent challenges and benefits of utilizing yeast in MFCs have been also encapsulated in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manisha Verma
- School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, U. P., 221005, India.
| | - Vishal Mishra
- School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, U. P., 221005, India.
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Tanaka M, Oku Y, Konuma R, Takuma Y, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi M. Direct Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Toluene Using a Microbial Electrolysis Cell Containing a Bicontinuous Microemulsion. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF JAPAN 2021. [DOI: 10.1252/jcej.21we022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mami Tanaka
- Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute
| | - Yu Oku
- Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute
| | - Rumi Konuma
- Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute
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Ojima Y, Kawaguchi T, Fukui S, Kikuchi R, Terao K, Koma D, Ohmoto T, Azuma M. Promoted performance of microbial fuel cells using Escherichia coli cells with multiple-knockout of central metabolism genes. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2019; 43:323-332. [DOI: 10.1007/s00449-019-02229-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Abstract
Fungi are among the microorganisms able to generate electricity as a result of their metabolic processes. Throughout the last several years, a large number of papers on various microorganisms for current production in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been published; however, fungi still lack sufficient evaluation in this regard. In this review, we focus on fungi, paying special attention to their potential applicability to MFCs. Fungi used as anodic or cathodic catalysts, in different reactor configurations, with or without the addition of an exogenous mediator, are described. Contrary to bacteria, in which the mechanism of electron transfer is pretty well known, the mechanism of electron transfer in fungi-based MFCs has not been studied intensively. Thus, here we describe the main findings, which can be used as the starting point for future investigations. We show that fungi have the potential to act as electrogens or cathode catalysts, but MFCs based on bacteria–fungus interactions are especially interesting. The review presents the current state-of-the-art in the field of MFC systems exploiting fungi.
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Evaluation of Kefir as a New Anodic Biocatalyst Consortium for Microbial Fuel Cell. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2018; 185:1118-1131. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-018-2718-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Christwardana M, Kwon Y. Yeast and carbon nanotube based biocatalyst developed by synergetic effects of covalent bonding and hydrophobic interaction for performance enhancement of membraneless microbial fuel cell. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2017; 225:175-182. [PMID: 27889476 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/12/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Membraneless microbial fuel cell (MFC) employing new microbial catalyst formed as yeast cultivated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and carbon nanotube (yeast/CNT) is suggested. To analyze its catalytic activity and performance and stability of MFC, several characterizations are performed. According to the characterizations, the catalyst shows excellent catalytic activities by facile transfer of electrons via reactions of NAD, FAD, cytochrome c and cytochrome a3, while it induces high maximum power density (MPD) (344mW·m-2). It implies that adoption of yeast induces increases in catalytic activity and MFC performance. Furthermore, MPD is maintained to 86% of initial value even after eight days, showing excellent MFC stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelinus Christwardana
- Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 232 Gongneung-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongchai Kwon
- Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 232 Gongneung-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea.
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Nano Copper Oxide-Modified Carbon Cloth as Cathode for a Two-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell. NANOMATERIALS 2016; 6:nano6120238. [PMID: 28335366 PMCID: PMC5302713 DOI: 10.3390/nano6120238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In this work, Cu2O nanoparticles were deposited on a carbon cloth cathode using a facile electrochemical method. The morphology of the modified cathode, which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) tests, showed that the porosity and specific surface area of the cathode improved with longer deposition times. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) results showed that cupric oxide and cuprous oxide coexisted on the carbon cloth, which improved the electrochemical activity of cathode. The cathode with a deposition time of 100 s showed the best performance, with a power density twice that of bare carbon cloth. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results revealed that moderate deposition of nano copper oxide on carbon cloth could dramatically reduce the charge transfer resistance, which contributed to the enhanced electrochemical performance. The mediation mechanism of copper oxide nanocatalyst was illustrated by the fact that the recycled conversion between cupric oxide and cuprous oxide accelerated the electron transfer efficiency on the cathode.
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Preliminary Investigation of Electricity Production Using Dual Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (DCMFC) with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae as Biocatalyst and Methylene Blue as an Electron Mediator. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.proche.2015.12.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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