Impedance spectroscopy as a tool for non‐intrusive detection of extracellular mediators in microbial fuel cells

Endogenously produced, diffusible redox mediators can act as electron shuttles for bacterial respiration. Accordingly, the mediators also serve a critical role in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), as they assist extracellular electron transfer from the bacteria to the anode serving as the intermediate electron sink. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) may be a valuable tool for evaluating the role of mediators in an operating MFC. EIS offers distinct advantages over some conventional analytical methods for the investigation of MFC systems because EIS can elucidate the electrochemical properties of various charge transfer processes in the bio‐energetic pathway. Preliminary investigations of Shewanella oneidensis DSP10‐based MFCs revealved that even low quantities of extracellular mediators significantly influence the impedance behavior of MFCs. EIS results also suggested that for the model MFC studied, electron transfer from the mediator to the anode may be up to 15 times faster than the electron transfer from bacteria to the mediator. When a simple carbonate membrane separated the anode and cathode chambers, the extracellular mediators were also detected at the cathode, indicating diffusion from the anode under open circuit conditions. The findings demonstrated that EIS can be used as a tool to indicate presence of extracellular redox mediators produced by microorganisms and their participation in extracellular electron shuttling. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 882–891. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[1]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Biofuel Cells Select for Microbial Consortia That Self-Mediate Electron Transfer , 2004, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[2]  Alice Dohnalkova,et al.  Electrically conductive bacterial nanowires produced by Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 and other microorganisms (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2006) 103, 30, (11358-11363) DOI 10.1073/pnas.0604517103) , 2009 .

[3]  J. Heijnen,et al.  Bioenergetics of Microbial Growth , 2010 .

[4]  Zhen He,et al.  Exploring the use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in microbial fuel cell studies , 2009 .

[5]  Pedro Estrela,et al.  Optimization of label-free DNA detection with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using PNA probes. , 2008, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[6]  A. Spormann,et al.  A derivative of the menaquinone precursor 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoate is involved in the reductive transformation of carbon tetrachloride by aerobically grown Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 , 2004, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[7]  Kelly P. Nevin,et al.  Mechanisms for Accessing Insoluble Fe(III) Oxide during Dissimilatory Fe(III) Reduction by Geothrix fermentans , 2002, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[8]  Glenn R. Johnson,et al.  The influence of acidity on microbial fuel cells containing Shewanella oneidensis. , 2008, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[9]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Microbial phenazine production enhances electron transfer in biofuel cells. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[10]  Shi Liang,et al.  導電性ナノワイヤーをShewanella oneidensis菌MR‐1菌株その他の微生物が生成する , 2006 .

[11]  J. Lloyd,et al.  Secretion of Flavins by Shewanella Species and Their Role in Extracellular Electron Transfer , 2007, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[12]  Jeffrey A. Gralnick,et al.  Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Uses Overlapping Pathways for Iron Reduction at a Distance and by Direct Contact under Conditions Relevant for Biofilms , 2005, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[13]  C. Myers,et al.  Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Restores Menaquinone Synthesis to a Menaquinone-Negative Mutant , 2004, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[14]  Steven C. Smith,et al.  Nonlocal bacterial electron transfer to hematite surfaces , 2003 .

[15]  Derek R. Lovley,et al.  Bug juice: harvesting electricity with microorganisms , 2006, Nature Reviews Microbiology.

[16]  K. Nealson,et al.  Bacterial Manganese Reduction and Growth with Manganese Oxide as the Sole Electron Acceptor , 1988, Science.

[17]  Zhen He,et al.  Effect of electrolyte pH on the rate of the anodic and cathodic reactions in an air-cathode microbial fuel cell. , 2008, Bioelectrochemistry.

[18]  R. Ramasamy,et al.  Impact of initial biofilm growth on the anode impedance of microbial fuel cells , 2008, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[19]  Dianne K. Newman,et al.  A role for excreted quinones in extracellular electron transfer , 2000, Nature.

[20]  D. R. Bond,et al.  Shewanella secretes flavins that mediate extracellular electron transfer , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[21]  K. Nealson,et al.  The use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in the evaluation of the electrochemical properties of a microbial fuel cell. , 2008, Bioelectrochemistry.

[22]  R. Thauer,et al.  Energy conservation in chemotrophic anaerobic bacteria , 1977, Bacteriological reviews.

[23]  R. Ramasamy,et al.  Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies on microbial fuel cells , 2007 .

[24]  Zhen He,et al.  An upflow microbial fuel cell with an interior cathode: assessment of the internal resistance by impedance spectroscopy. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[25]  Microbial Fuel Cells for Wastewater Treatment , 2008 .

[26]  Bruce E Logan,et al.  Microbial fuel cells--challenges and applications. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[27]  Andreas Kappler,et al.  Phenazines and Other Redox-Active Antibiotics Promote Microbial Mineral Reduction , 2004, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[28]  R. Thauer,et al.  Energy Conservation in Chemotrophic Anaerobic Bacteria , 1977, Bacteriological reviews.

[29]  Alice Dohnalkova,et al.  Electrically conductive bacterial nanowires produced by Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 and other microorganisms. , 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.