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Indole oxidation enhances electricity production in an E. coli-catalyzed microbial fuel cell

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Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) generate electricity from the oxidation of dissolved organic matter. A variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Escherichia coli, produce a large quantity of indole, which functions as an extracellular signal molecule. This work explored the role of indole in a mediatorless E. coli catalyzed MFC. Although the presence of indole alone did not affect power generation, indole oxidation by the indole-oxidizing enzyme toluene-o-monooxygenase (TOM) enhanced power density by 9-fold. Open circuit voltage and polarization curve showed that indole oxidation by TOM produced a maximum power density of 5.4 mW/m2 at 1,000 ohm. Cyclic voltammetric results suggested that indole oxidation resulted in the production of redox compounds. This study provides a novel means of enhancing power generation in E. coli-catalyzed MFCs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 712-749, Korea

    Thi Hiep Han, Moo Hwan Cho & Jintae Lee

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  1. Thi Hiep Han
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  2. Moo Hwan Cho
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  3. Jintae Lee
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Correspondence to Jintae Lee.

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Han, T.H., Cho, M.H. & Lee, J. Indole oxidation enhances electricity production in an E. coli-catalyzed microbial fuel cell. Biotechnol Bioproc E 19, 126–131 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-013-0429-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-013-0429-7

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