bio-fuel cell

Seeking low-cost and eco-friendly electrode catalyst of microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactor has received extensive attention in recent decades. In this study, a sludge MFC was coupled with biochar-modified-anode (BC-300, BC-400, and BC-500) for actual brewery wastewater treatment. The physicochemical properties of biochar largely depended on the pyrolysis temperature, further affecting the removal efficiency of wastewater indicators. BC-400 MFC proved to be efficient for TN and NH4 + -N removal, while the maximum removal efficiencies of COD and TP were achieved by BC-500 MFC, reaching respectively 97...

In recent years, the production of plastic has been estimated to reach 300 million tonnes, and nearly the same amount has been dumped into the waters. This waste material causes long-term damage to the ecosystem, economic sectors, and aquatic environments. Fragmentation of plastics to microplastics has been detected in the world's oceans, which causes a serious global impact. It is found that most of this debris ends up in water environments. Hence, this research aims to review the microbial degradation of microplastic, especially in water bodies and coastal areas...

Bio-inspiration and biomimetics offer guidance for designing and synthesizing advanced catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Herein, a chlorine-doped Fe2 P supported by nitrogen-doped carbon (Cl-Fe2 P/NC) catalyst was designed and prepared based on imitating the bamboo structure. The electronegative chlorine captured the electron transfer from Fe2 P and transferred it to NC through carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The antibacterial chlorine inhibited the cathode biofilm formation to enhance the ion transport...

Bioreduction of Cr(VI) is recognized as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method, attracting widespread interest. However, the slow rate of Cr(VI) bioreduction remains a practical challenge. Additionally, the direct removal efficiency of microbes for high concentrations of Cr(VI) is not ideal due to the toxicity. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of exogenous riboflavin or cytochrome on the cathodic reduction of Cr(VI) in microbial fuel cells. The results demonstrated that the exogenous riboflavin or cytochrome effectively improved the voltage output of the cells, with riboflavin increasing the voltage by 52...

Glucosylation is a well-known approach to improve the solubility, pharmacological, and biological properties of flavonoids, making flavonoid glucosides a target for large-scale biosynthesis. However, the low yield of products coupled with the requirement of expensive UDP-sugars limits the application of enzymatic systems for large-scale. C. glutamicum is a Gram-positive and generally regarded as safe (GRAS) bacteria frequently employed for the large-scale production of amino acids and bio-fuels. Due to the versatility of its cell factory system and its non-endotoxin producing properties, it has become an attractive system for the industrial-scale biosynthesis of alternate products...

Lignin is complex, three-dimensional biopolymer existing in plant cell wall. Lignin biosynthesis is increasingly highlighted because it is closely related to the wide applications in agriculture and industry productions, including in pulping process, forage digestibility, bio-fuel, and carbon sequestration. The functions of lignin in planta have also attracted more attentions recently, particularly in plant defense response against different pathogens. In this brief review, the progress in lignin biosynthesis is discussed, and the lignin's roles in disease resistance are thoroughly elucidated...

Depletion of fossil fuel and pollution by heavy metals are two major global issues. The cell wall of algae consists of polymers of polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, alginate, starch, and many others that are readily hydrolyzed to monosaccharides and hence are amenable to fermentation into bioethanol. Moreover, algae contain lipids that may undergo trans-esterification to biodiesel, and can be absorbed by heavy metals. In this study, extraction of lipids from Turbinaria turbinata (common brown alga) from the beach of Sharma, NEOM, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia by different solvents hexane, methanol, and hexane: methanol (1:1), and trans-esterification was performed to obtain biodiesel and investigated by GC...

Lignocellulosic biomass holds a crucial position in the prospective bio-based economy, serving as a sustainable and renewable source for a variety of biobased products. These products play a vital role in displacing fossil fuels and contributing to environmental well-being. However, the inherent recalcitrance of biomass poses a significant obstacle to the efficient access of sugar polymers. Consequently, the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars remains a prominent challenge in biorefinery processes to produce biofuels and biochemicals...

Compartmentalization is a powerful concept to integrate multiscale components with diverse functionalities into miniature architectures. Inspired by evolution-optimized cell compartments, synthetic core-shell capsules enable storage of actives and on-demand delivery of programmed functions, driving scientific progress across various fields including adaptive materials, sustainable electronics, soft robotics, and precision medicine. To simultaneously maximize structural stability and environmental sensitivity, which are the two most critical characteristics dictating performance, diverse nanoparticles are incorporated into microcapsules with a dense shell and a liquid core...

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have much potential in the field of analytical separation research due to their distinctive characteristics, including easy modification, low densities, large specific surface areas and permanent porosity. This article provides a historical overview of the synthesis and broad perspectives on the applications of COFs. The use of COF-based membranes in gas separation, water treatment (desalination, heavy metals and dye removal), membrane filtration, photoconduction, sensing and fuel cells is also covered...

Bilirubin oxidases (BODs) [EC 1.3.3.5 - bilirubin: oxygen oxido-reductase] are enzymes that belong to the multicopper oxidase family and can oxidize bilirubin, diphenols, and aryl amines and reduce the oxygen by direct four-electron transfer from the electrode with almost no electrochemical overpotential. Therefore, BOD is a promising bioelectrocatalyst for (self-powered) biosensors and/or enzymatic fuel cells. The advantages of electrochemically active BOD enzymes include selective biosensing, biocatalysis for efficient energy conversion, and electrosynthesis...

This work presents the development of an enzyme fuel cell, termed "BioBattery", that utilizes multicopper oxidases as the anodic enzyme in a non-diffusion limited system. We evaluated various enzyme variants as the anode, including multicopper oxidase from Pyrobaculum aerophilum, laccase from Trametes versicolor, and bilirubin oxidase from Myrothecium verrucaria. Several combinations of cathodes were also examined, focusing on the reduction of oxygen as the primary electron acceptor. The optimal pairing used multicopper oxidase from Pyrobaculum aerophilum as the anode and amine reactive phenazine ethosulfate modified bovine serum albumin as the cathode...

The widespread application of electrochemical hydrogen production faces significant challenges, primarily attributed to the high overpotential of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in conventional water electrolysis. To address this issue, an effective strategy involves substituting OER with the value-added oxidation of biomass feedstock, reducing the energy requirements for electrochemical hydrogen production while simultaneously upgrading the biomass. Herein, we introduce an electrocatalytic approach for the value-added oxidation of isobutanol, a high energy density bio-fuel, coupled with hydrogen production...

In this work, the ferrous (Fe2+ ) and graphitic N modified graphene-based composite cathode materials (N-rGO/Fe3 O4 ) were developed through an in-situ reduction method, aiming to facilitate the two-electron pathway in the oxidation-reduction process. This approach generated a specific concentration of H2 O2 , enabling the construction of a sediment bio-electro-Fenton system using Fe2+ released from the cathode materials. Notably, this system operates without the need for proton exchange membranes. During the cathode material preparation, the utilization of Fe2+ as a reduction agent for graphene oxide (GO), triggered ammonia water to form graphitic N in graphene sheets...

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an emerging technology that holds promise for renewable energy production and the mitigation of environmental challenges. This research paper introduces a single-compartment MFC reactor that utilizes transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), such as fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and indium tin oxides (ITO), as the working electrodes. The effectiveness of MFCs based on FTO and ITO was evaluated by characterizing the transparent electrode and examining its performance during biofilm cultivation...

Nano/micromotors are artificial robots at the nano/microscale that are capable of transforming energy into mechanical movement. In cancer diagnosis or therapy, such "tiny robots" show great promise for targeted drug delivery, cell removal/killing, and even related biomarker sensing. Yet biocompatibility is still the most critical challenge that restricts such techniques from transitioning from the laboratory to clinical applications. In this review, we emphasize the biocompatibility aspect of nano/micromotors to show the great efforts made by researchers to promote their clinical application, mainly including non-toxic fuel propulsion (inorganic catalysts, enzyme, etc...

Nowadays, the bacteriocin industries have seen significant growth, supplanting chemical preservatives in its ability to improve the shelf-life and safety of food. The increasing customer desire to use natural preservatives has fueled advancing bacteriocin research. The objective of this study was to identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that produce bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) and have strong anti-listerial activity. We have identified and analyzed a LAB obtained from chhurpi samples, a popular milk-derived product in the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal...

For a better understanding of the distribution of depth-dependent electrochemically active bacteria at in the anode zone, a customized system in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) was developed and subsequently optimized via electrochemical tests. The constructed MFC system was sequentially operated using two types of matrice solutions: artificially controlled compositions (i.e., artificial wastewater, AW) and solutions obtained directly from actual sewage-treating municipal plants (i...

Exo-electrogenic microorganisms are characterized by their special metabolic capability of transferring metabolic electrons out of their cell, into insoluble external electron acceptors such as iron or manganese oxides and electrodes, or vice versa take up electron from electrodes. Their conventional application is primarily limited to microbial fuel cells for electrical power generation and microbial electrolysis cells for the production of value-added products such as biohydrogen, biomethane and hydrogen peroxide...

Using the bio-electrochemical methods for the restoration of high algae sediments is full of potential and challenges. How to promote extracellular electron transfer (EET) process in microbial fuel cells (MFC) is the key bottleneck. The study had explored the potential application of magnetite on accelerating electron transfer for improving the output of MFC and sediment pollution remediation. The results indicated that the organic matter degradation rate showed a remarkable increase of 27.45 %, and the voltage output was approximately 1...