Robert J. Mitchell (UNIST (울산과학기술원)) | 한빛사논문 > 한빛사

한빛사논문

조회487

UNIST (울산과학기술원)

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Biosens. Bioelectron., Available online 24 September 2020, 112623 | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112623 Enhanced microbial fuel cell (MFC) power outputs through Membrane Permeabilization using a branched polyethyleneimine

Sandrine M. Soh^a, Dong-Gyu Lee^b, Robert J. Mitchell^a,b,*

^aSchool of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
^bSchool of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, South Korea

^*Corresponding author

Abstract

This study demonstrates the impact outer membrane permeability has on the power densities generated by E. coli-based microbial fuel cells with neutral red as the mediator, and how increasing the permeability improves the current generation. Experiments performed with several lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutants (ΔwaaC, ΔwaaF and ΔwaaG) of E. coli BW25113 that increase the outer membrane permeability found the power generated by two of the truncated LPS mutants, i.e., ΔwaaC and ΔwaaF, to be significantly higher (5.6 and 6.9 mW/m2, respectively) than that of the wild-type E. coli BW25113 (2.6 mW/m2). Branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI, 400 mg/L), a strong chemical permeabilizer, was more effective, however, increasing the power output from E. coli BW25113 cultures to as much as 29.7 mW/m2, or approximately 11-fold higher than the control MFC. BPEI also increased the activities of the mutant strains (to between 10.6 and 16.3 mW/m2), as well as when benzyl viologen was the mediator. Additional tests found BPEI not only enhanced membrane permeability but also increased the zeta potential of the bacterial cells from a value of -43.4 mV to -21.0 mV. This led to a significant increase in auto-aggregation of the bacterial cells and, consequently, better adherence of the cells to the anode electrode, as was demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the importance of outer membrane permeabilities on MFC performances and defines two benefits that BPEI offers when used within MFCs as an outer membrane permeabilizer.

Keywords : Microbial fuel cell (MFC); Branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI); Membrane permeability; Lipopolysaccharide; Aggregation; Biofilm

논문정보

형식Research article
게재일2020년 09월 (BRIC 등록일 2020-10-07)
연구진국내 연구진
분야 생명과학 > 미생물학

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