title: Characterisation of yeast microbial fuel cell with the yeast Arxula adeninivorans as the biocatalyst.
abstract: Yeast microbial fuel cells have received little attention to date. Yeast should be ideal MFC catalyst because they are robust, easily handled, mostly non-pathogenic organisms with high catabolic rates and in some cases a broad substrate spectrum. Here we show that the non-conventional yeast Arxula adeninvorans transfers electrons to an electrode through the secretion of a reduced molecule that is not detectable when washed cells are first resuspended but which accumulates rapidly in the extracellular environment. It is a single molecule that accumulates to a significant concentration. The occurrence of mediatorless electron transfer was first established in a conventional microbial fuel cell and that phenomenon was further investigated by a number of techniques. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) on a yeast pellet shows a single peak at 450 mV, a scan rate study showed that the peak was due to a solution species. CVs of the supernatant confirmed a solution species. It appears that, given its other attributes, A. adeninivorans is a good candidate for further investigation as a MFC catalyst.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, P.O. Box 84 Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, Canterbury, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Haslett
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Frankie J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rawson
authors.affiliation: Université de Rennes 1, CNRS UMR 6226, Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, Equipe MaCSE, France.
authors.forename: Frèdèric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barriëre
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Corrensstr. 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany.
authors.forename: Gotthard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kunze
authors.affiliation: Lincoln Ventures Ltd., P.O. Box 133, Lincoln, Christchurch 7640, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pasco
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, P.O. Box 84 Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, Canterbury, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gooneratne
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Keith H R
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Baronian
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D002384:Catalysis; D004579:Electron Transport; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000737:chemistry*