title: Recovery of electric energy from formate by using a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli.
abstract: Recombinant Escherichia coli cells were applied for the recovery of electric energy from formate. Initially, the fdh gene, which encodes formate dehydrogenase (FDH) of Mycobacterium vaccae, was introduced into E. coli cells to allow efficient degradation of formate. The constructed microbial fuel cell (MFC) with E. coli BW25113 cells carrying fdh gene showed appreciable generation of current density in the presence of formate as a substrate. Current density and polarization curves revealed that the performance of MFC under examined conditions was limited by the electron transfer from bulk liquid to the electrode surface; accordingly, agitation resulted in an increase in the current density and achieved a coulombic efficiency of 21.7 % on the basis of formate consumed. Thus, gene recombination enables E. coli cells to utilize formate as a fuel for MFC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan, ojima@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ojima
authors.forename: Teruyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: Nahoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishinoue
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taya
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid