Bacterial bioelectrocatalysis: Engineered bacterial films for energy production from wastewater

DAN F. BRADLEY; DAVID J. SCHIFFRIN ; METTEW MCCONVILLE; KATY ZHO; IAN O'NEIL; P. SEBASTIAN BONANNI; LUCIANA ROBUSCHI; GERMAN SCHROTT; JUAN PABLO BUSALMEN

Murcia

Encuentro; XIII Encuentro Iberico de electroquimica - ISE Day; 2011

International society of electrochemistry

Progress towards the development of a fuel cell for simultaneous bioremediation and energy production utilising Geobacter sulfurreducens as the primary element of a bioelectrocatalytic system is presented. The key challenge of the project has been to enhance the efficiency of the bioelectrocatalysis via nanoscale engineering and the direct covalent bonding of the resultant conducting framework to the active heme sites on the bacterial surface. Electrochemical analysis of isolated bacteria and bacterial filmas is presented along with testing of the bacterial linked framework and a discussion of the method by which fuel cell modelling has contributed to the development of the prototype.