• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.373-378
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• 2021

The study aimed to develop a high-power enzymatic electrode for a wearable fuel cell that generates electricity utilizing lactate present in a sweat as fuel. Anode was fabricated by immobilizing lactate oxidase (LOx) on flexible carbon paper. As the lactate concentration in the electrolyte solution increased, the amount of current generated by catalysis of lactate oxidase increased. The immobilized LOx generated 1.5-times greater oxidation current density in the presence of gold nanoparticles than carbon paper only. Bilirubin oxidase (BOD)-immobilized cathode generated a larger amount of reduction current in the electrolyte saturated with oxygen than purged with nitrogen. A fuel cell composed of two electrodes was fabricated and cell voltage was measured under different discharge current. At the discharge current density of 66.7 ㎂/cm², the cell voltage was 0.5±0.0 V leading to maximum cell power density of 33.8±2.5 ㎼/cm².

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.365-367
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• 1999

A fuel cell type biosensor for lactate was developed using a metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens IR-1. Under the operational conditions, the bacterial cell suspension generated the current without an electrochemical mediator in the presence of lactate. The current was proportional to the lactate concentration up to 30 mM.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.238-245
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• 2024

The lactate electrode can be utilized either as an electrode for lactate sensor to monitor the patient's health status, stress level, and athlete's fatigue in real time or lactate fuel cell. In this study, we fabricated a high-performance electrode composed of lactate oxidase, catalase, and mitochondria, and investigated the surface analysis and electrochemical properties of this electrode. Carbon paper modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes (CP-SWCNT) had significantly improved electrical conductivity compared to before modification. The electrode to which lactate oxidase, catalase, and mitochondria were attached (CP-SWCNT-LOx-Cat-Mito) produced a higher current than the electrode to which lactate oxidase and catalase were attached. The amount of reduction current produced by the bilirubin oxidase (BOD)-attached electrode (CP-SWCNT-BOD) was greatly affected by the presence or absence of oxygen in the electrolyte. The fuel cell composed of CP-SWCNT-LOx-Cat-Mito (anode) and CP-SWCNT-BOD (cathode) produced maximum power (29 ㎼/cm²) at a discharge current density of 133 ㎂/cm². From this study, we had proved that mitochondria is essential for improving lactate sensor and fuel cell performance.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.540-546
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• 2004

We deviced a new graphite-Mn(II) electrode and found that the modified electrode with Mn(II) can catalyze NADH oxidation and $NAD^+$ reduction coupled to electricity production and consumption as oxidizing agent and reducing power, respectively. In fuel cell with graphite-Mn(II) anode and graphite-Fe(III) cathode, the electricity of 1.5 coulomb (A x s) was produced from NADH which was electrochemically reduced by the graphite-Mn(II) electrode. When the initial concentrations of pyruvate and acetaldehyde were adjusted to 40 mM and 200 mM, respectively, about 25 mM lactate and 35 mM ethanol were produced from 40 mM pyruvate and 200 mM acetaldehyde, respectively, by catalysis of ADH and LDH in the electrochemical reactor with $NAD^+$ as cofactor and electricity as reducing power. By using this new electrode with catalytic function, the bioelectrocatalysts are engineered; namely, oxidoreductase (e.g., lactate dehydrogenase) and $NAD^+$ can function for biotransformation without electron mediator and second oxidoreductase for $NAD^+$/NADH recycling.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.277-281
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• 2013

A dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) inoculated with Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and supplemented with lactate as an organic fuel was employed in this study. Biofilm formed on the anodic electrode was examined by scanning electron microscopy, revealing that the amount of biofilm was increased with repeated cycles of MFC operation. The maximum current production was notably increased from the first cycle ($1,310.0{\pm}22.3mA/m^2$) to the final cycle ($1,539.4{\pm}25.8mA/m^2$) of MFC run. Coulombic efficiency was also increased from $89.4%{\pm}0.2%$ to $98.9%{\pm}0.5%$. We suggest that the current production efficiency was related to the biomass of biofilm formed on the electrode, which was also increased as the MFC run was repeated. It was also found that D. desulfuricans, which colonized on the electrode, produced filaments or nano-pili. Nano-pili were effective for the attachment of cells on the electrode. In addition, the nano-pili provided a cell-to-cell link and stimulated the development of thicker electroactive biofilm, and therefore, they facilitated electron transfer to the anode. Conclusively, the biofilm of D. desulfuricans enhanced the current production in the MFC as a result of effective attachment of cells and electron transfer from the cell network to the electrode.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.281-286
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• 2005

We created a new graphite-Cu(II) electrode and found that the electrode could catalyze FADH$_2$ oxidation and FAD reduction coupled to electricity production and consumption, respectively. In a fuel cell with graphite-Cu(II) anode and graphite-Fe(III) cathode, the electricity was produced by coupling to the spontaneous oxidation of FADH$_2$ Fumarate and xylose were not produced from the enzymatic oxidation of succinate and xylitol without FAD, respectively, but produced with FAD. The production of fumarate and xylose in the reactor with FAD electrochemically regenerated was maximally 2- 5 times higher than that in the reactor with FAD. By using this new electrode with catalytic function, a bioelectrocatalysts can be engineered; namely, oxidoreductase (e.g., lactate dehydrogenase) and FAD can function for biotransformation without an electron mediator and second oxidoreductase for cofactors recycling.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1747-1756
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• 2013

The aim of this paper was to study the effect of spent medium recycle on Spodoptera exigua Se301 cell line proliferation, metabolism, and baculovirus production when grown in batch suspension cultures in Ex-Cell 420 serum-free medium. The results showed that the recycle of 20% of spent medium from a culture in mid-exponential growth phase improved growth relative to a control culture grown in fresh medium. Although both glucose and glutamine were still present at the end of the growth phase, glutamate was always completely exhausted. The pattern of the specific glucose and lactate consumption and production rates, as well as the specific glutamine and glutamate consumption rates, suggests a metabolic shift at spent medium recycle values of over 60%, with a decrease in the efficiency of glucose utilization and an increase in glutamate consumption to fuel energy metabolism. Baculovirus infection provoked a change in the metabolic pattern of Se301 cells, although a beneficial effect of spent medium recycle was also observed. Both growth rate and maximum viable cell density decreased relative to uninfected cultures. The efficiency of glucose utilization was dramatically reduced in those cultures containing the lowest percentages of spent medium, whereas glutamine and glutamate consumption was modulated, thereby suggesting that infected cells were devoted to virus replication, retaining their ability to incorporate the nutrients required to support viral replication. Recycle of 20% of spent medium increased baculovirus production by around 90%, thus showing the link between cell growth and baculovirus production.