Potential application of Candida melibiosica in biofuel cells.
Various prokaryote species have been widely studied for microbial fuel cell (MFC) application. However, the information about yeast utilization into biofuel cells is still scanty. The aim of this investigation is to verify if Candida melibiosica 2491, a yeast strain, possessing high phytase activity, could be applied as a biocatalyst in a yeast biofuel cell. The microbiological requirements were coupled with the electrochemical ones tracing main biochemical pathway metabolites such as different carbohydrate and inorganic phosphates and their assimilation with time. The obtained results show that from the three carbohydrates investigated - glucose, fructose and sucrose, fructose is the most suitable for the yeast cultivation. The presence of yeast extract and peptone improves the performance into the biofuel cell. The relationship between the yeast cell amount and the biofuel cell characteristics was determined. Analyses showed that electricity was generated by the yeast culture even in the absence of an artificial mediator. The addition of methylene blue at concentrations higher than 0.1 mM improves the current and power density output. The obtained experimental results proved that C. melibiosica 2491 belongs to the electrogenic strains.
Hubenova
Yolina
Y
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, "Paisii Hilendarski" University of Plovdiv, 24 Tzar Asen Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria. jolinahubenova@yahoo.com
Mitov
Mario
M
D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources / Q000382:microbiology*; D002175:Candida / Q000502:physiology*; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004566:Electrodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D004735:Energy Transfer; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies