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Rodríguez-Torres LM, Huerta-Miranda GA, Martínez-García AL, Mazón-Montijo DA, Hernández-Eligio A, Miranda-Hernández M, Juárez K. Influence of support materials on the electroactive behavior, structure and gene expression of wild type and GSU1771-deficient mutant of Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-33612-3. [PMID: 38758442 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33612-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Geobacter sulfurreducens DL1 is a metal-reducing dissimilatory bacterium frequently used to produce electricity in bioelectrochemical systems (BES). The biofilm formed on electrodes is one of the most important factors for efficient electron transfer; this is possible due to the production of type IV pili and c-type cytochromes that allow it to carry out extracellular electron transfer (EET) to final acceptors. In this study, we analyzed the biofilm formed on different support materials (glass, hematite (Fe2O3) on glass, fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) semiconductor glass, Fe2O3 on FTO, graphite, and stainless steel) by G. sulfurreducens DL1 (WT) and GSU1771-deficient strain mutant (Δgsu1771). GSU1771 is a transcriptional regulator that controls the expression of several genes involved in electron transfer. Different approaches and experimental tests were carried out with the biofilms grown on the different support materials including structure analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), characterization of electrochemical activity, and quantification of relative gene expression by RT-qPCR. The gene expression of selected genes involved in EET was analyzed, observing an overexpression of pgcA, omcS, omcM, and omcF from Δgsu1771 biofilms compared to those from WT, also the overexpression of the epsH gene, which is involved in exopolysaccharide synthesis. Although we observed that for the Δgsu1771 mutant strain, the associated redox processes are similar to the WT strain, and more current is produced, we think that this could be associated with a higher relative expression of certain genes involved in EET and in the production of exopolysaccharides despite the chemical environment where the biofilm develops. This study supports that G. sulfurreducens is capable of adapting to the electrochemical environment where it grows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Miguel Rodríguez-Torres
- Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001. Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Guillermo Antonio Huerta-Miranda
- Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001. Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Ana Luisa Martínez-García
- Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S. C., Subsede Monterrey, Grupo de Investigación DORA-Lab, 66628, Apodaca, N. L, México
- Centro de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (CIIT), Grupo de Investigación DORA-Lab, Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Nuevo León (TECNL), 66629, Apodaca, N. L, México
| | - Dalia Alejandra Mazón-Montijo
- Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S. C., Subsede Monterrey, Grupo de Investigación DORA-Lab, 66628, Apodaca, N. L, México
- Centro de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (CIIT), Grupo de Investigación DORA-Lab, Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Nuevo León (TECNL), 66629, Apodaca, N. L, México
- Investigadores Por México, CONAHCYT, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Alberto Hernández-Eligio
- Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001. Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
- Investigadores Por México, CONAHCYT, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Margarita Miranda-Hernández
- Instituto de Energías Renovables, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Priv. Xochicalco, 62580, Temixco, Morelos, México
| | - Katy Juárez
- Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001. Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
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Abd-Elrahman NK, Al-Harbi N, Basfer NM, Al-Hadeethi Y, Umar A, Akbar S. Applications of Nanomaterials in Microbial Fuel Cells: A Review. Molecules 2022; 27:7483. [PMID: 36364309 PMCID: PMC9655766 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an environmentally friendly technology and a source of renewable energy. It is used to generate electrical energy from organic waste using bacteria, which is an effective technology in wastewater treatment. The anode and the cathode electrodes and proton exchange membranes (PEM) are important components affecting the performance and operation of MFC. Conventional materials used in the manufacture of electrodes and membranes are insufficient to improve the efficiency of MFC. The use of nanomaterials in the manufacture of the anode had a prominent effect in improving the performance in terms of increasing the surface area, increasing the transfer of electrons from the anode to the cathode, biocompatibility, and biofilm formation and improving the oxidation reactions of organic waste using bacteria. The use of nanomaterials in the manufacture of the cathode also showed the improvement of cathode reactions or oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). The PEM has a prominent role in separating the anode and the cathode in the MFC, transferring protons from the anode chamber to the cathode chamber while preventing the transfer of oxygen. Nanomaterials have been used in the manufacture of membrane components, which led to improving the chemical and physical properties of the membranes and increasing the transfer rates of protons, thus improving the performance and efficiency of MFC in generating electrical energy and improving wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nuha Al-Harbi
- Department of Physics, Umm AL-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
| | - Noor M. Basfer
- Department of Physics, Umm AL-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yas Al-Hadeethi
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Umar
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Arts, and Promising Centre for Sensors and Electronic Devices (PCSED), Najran University, Najran 11001, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Sheikh Akbar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Scarabotti F, Bühler K, Schmidt M, Harnisch F. Thickness and roughness of transparent gold-palladium anodes have no impact on growth kinetics and yield coefficients of early-stage Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms. Bioelectrochemistry 2022; 144:108043. [PMID: 34959027 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2021.108043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Geobacter sulfurreducens is the model organism for electroactive microorganisms performing direct extracellular electron transfer and forming thick mature biofilm electrodes. Although numerous physiological properties of mature biofilm electrodes are deciphered, there is an extensive gap of knowledge on the early-stage biofilm formation. We have shown recently that transparent gold-palladium (AuPd) electrodes allow for analysis of early-stage biofilm formation using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Here we analysed the influence of thickness (ranging from 12.5 to 200 nm) and roughness of AuPd electrodes on physiological parameters of G. sulfurreducens early-stage biofilms. We show that when grown potentiostatically at -200 mV vs. Ag/ AgCl sat. KCl neither maximum current density (jmax of ∼ 80-150 µA cm-2) nor lag time (lag t of ∼ 0.2-0.4 days) or single cell yield coefficients (YNe of 1.43 × 1012 cells mole--1) of the biofilms are influenced by the electrode preparation. This confirms the robustness of the experimental approach, which is an inevitable prerequisite for obtaining reliable results in follow-up experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Scarabotti
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katja Bühler
- Department Solar Materials, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Schmidt
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Falk Harnisch
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.
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Abstract
Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system that generates electricity by anaerobic oxidation of substrates. An anode is the most critical component because the primary conversion of wastewater into electrons and protons takes place on the surface of the anode, where a biofilm is formed. This paper describes the essential properties of the anode and classifies its types according to the material used to make it. Anode material is responsible for the flow of electrons generated by the microorganism; hence biocompatibility and conductivity can considered to be the two most important properties. In this paper, the various modification strategies to improve the performance of anodes of MFC are explained through the review of researchers’ published work in this field. The shape and size of the anode turned out to be very significant as the microbial growth depends on the available surface area. The attachment of biofilm on the surface of an anode largely depends on the interfacial surface chemistry. Methods for improving MFC performance by altering the anode material, architecture, biocompatibility, and longevity are discussed with a future perspective giving special importance to the cost.
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Şen-Doğan B, Okan M, Afşar-Erkal N, Özgür E, Zorlu Ö, Külah H. Enhancement of the Start-Up Time for Microliter-Scale Microbial Fuel Cells (µMFCs) via the Surface Modification of Gold Electrodes. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E703. [PMID: 32708083 PMCID: PMC7407754 DOI: 10.3390/mi11070703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are biological fuel cells based on the oxidation of fuels by electrogenic bacteria to generate an electric current in electrochemical cells. There are several methods that can be employed to improve their performance. In this study, the effects of gold surface modification with different thiol molecules were investigated for their implementation as anode electrodes in micro-scale MFCs (µMFCs). Several double-chamber µMFCs with 10.4 µL anode and cathode chambers were fabricated using silicon-microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication technology. µMFC systems assembled with modified gold anodes were operated under anaerobic conditions with the continuous feeding of anolyte and catholyte to compare the effect of different thiol molecules on the biofilm formation of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Performances were evaluated using polarization curves, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), and Scanning Electron Microcopy (SEM). The results showed that µMFCs modified with thiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) (cysteamine and 11-MUA) resulted in more than a 50% reduction in start-up times due to better bacterial attachment on the anode surface. Both 11-MUA and cysteamine modifications resulted in dense biofilms, as observed in SEM images. The power output was found to be similar in cysteamine-modified and bare gold µMFCs. The power and current densities obtained in this study were comparable to those reported in similar studies in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Begüm Şen-Doğan
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (B.Ş.-D.); (M.O.)
| | - Meltem Okan
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (B.Ş.-D.); (M.O.)
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
| | | | - Ebru Özgür
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
| | - Özge Zorlu
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
| | - Haluk Külah
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (B.Ş.-D.); (M.O.)
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
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Yaqoob AA, Mohamad Ibrahim MN, Rafatullah M, Chua YS, Ahmad A, Umar K. Recent Advances in Anodes for Microbial Fuel Cells: An Overview. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 13:E2078. [PMID: 32369902 PMCID: PMC7254385 DOI: 10.3390/ma13092078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The recycling and treatment of wastewater using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been attracting significant attention as a way to control energy crises and water pollution simultaneously. Despite all efforts, MFCs are unable to produce high energy or efficiently treat pollutants due to several issues, one being the anode's material. The anode is one of the most important parts of an MFC. Recently, different types of anode materials have been developed to improve the removal rate of pollutants and the efficiency of energy production. In MFCs, carbon-based materials have been employed as the most commonly preferred anode material. An extensive range of potentials are presently available for use in the fabrication of anode materials and can considerably minimize the current challenges, such as the need for high quality materials and their costs. The fabrication of an anode using biomass waste is an ideal approach to address the present issues and increase the working efficiency of MFCs. Furthermore, the current challenges and future perspectives of anode materials are briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asim Ali Yaqoob
- School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia; (A.A.Y.); (Y.S.C.); (K.U.)
| | | | - Mohd Rafatullah
- School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia;
| | - Yong Shen Chua
- School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia; (A.A.Y.); (Y.S.C.); (K.U.)
| | - Akil Ahmad
- School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia;
| | - Khalid Umar
- School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia; (A.A.Y.); (Y.S.C.); (K.U.)
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