Development of a longevous two-species biophotovoltaics with constrained electron flow

Huawei Zhu, Hengkai Meng, Wei Zhang, Haichun Gao, Jie Zhou, Yanping Zhang () and Yin Li ()
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Huawei Zhu: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hengkai Meng: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wei Zhang: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haichun Gao: Zhejiang University
Jie Zhou: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yanping Zhang: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yin Li: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Microbial biophotovoltaics (BPV) offers a biological solution for renewable energy production by using photosynthetic microorganisms as light absorbers. Although abiotic engineering approaches, e.g., electrode modification and device optimization, can enhance the electrochemical communication between living cells and electrodes, the power densities of BPV are still low due to the weak exoelectrogenic activity of photosynthetic microorganisms. Here, we develop a BPV based on a d-lactate mediated microbial consortium consisting of photosynthetic cyanobacteria and exoelectrogenic Shewanella. By directing solar energy from photons to d-lactate, then to electricity, this BPV generates a power density of over 150 mW·m−2 in a temporal separation setup. Furthermore, a spatial-temporal separation setup with medium replenishment enables stable operation for over 40 days with an average power density of 135 mW·m−2. These results demonstrate the electron flow constrained microbial consortium can facilitate electron export from photosynthetic cells and achieve an efficient and durable power output.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12190-w

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