• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.590-598
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• 2011

Bacterial assimilation of $CO_2$ into stable biomolecules using electrochemical reducing power may be an effective method to reduce atmospheric $CO_2$ without fossil fuel combustion. For the enrichment of the $CO_2$-fixing bacteria using electrochemical reducing power as an energy source, a cylinder-type electrochemical bioreactor with a built-in anode compartment was developed. A graphite felt cathode modified with neutral red (NR-graphite cathode) was used as a solid electron mediator to induce bacterial cells to fix $CO_2$ using electrochemical reducing power. Bacterial $CO_2$ consumption was calculated based on the variation in the ratio of $CO_2$ to $N_2$ in the gas reservoir. $CO_2$ consumed by the bacteria grown in the electrochemical bioreactor (2,000 ml) reached a maximum of approximately 1,500 ml per week. Time-coursed variations in the bacterial community grown with the electrochemical reducing power and $CO_2$ in the mineral-based medium were analyzed via temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) of the 16S rDNA variable region. Some of the bacterial community constituents noted at the initial time disappeared completely, but some of them observed as DNA signs at the initial time were clearly enriched in the electrochemical bioreactor during 24 weeks of incubation. Finally, Alcaligenes sp. and Achromobacter sp., which are capable of autotrophically fixing $CO_2$, were enriched to major constituents of the bacterial community in the electrochemical bioreactor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.540-546
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• 2004

We deviced a new graphite-Mn(II) electrode and found that the modified electrode with Mn(II) can catalyze NADH oxidation and $NAD^+$ reduction coupled to electricity production and consumption as oxidizing agent and reducing power, respectively. In fuel cell with graphite-Mn(II) anode and graphite-Fe(III) cathode, the electricity of 1.5 coulomb (A x s) was produced from NADH which was electrochemically reduced by the graphite-Mn(II) electrode. When the initial concentrations of pyruvate and acetaldehyde were adjusted to 40 mM and 200 mM, respectively, about 25 mM lactate and 35 mM ethanol were produced from 40 mM pyruvate and 200 mM acetaldehyde, respectively, by catalysis of ADH and LDH in the electrochemical reactor with $NAD^+$ as cofactor and electricity as reducing power. By using this new electrode with catalytic function, the bioelectrocatalysts are engineered; namely, oxidoreductase (e.g., lactate dehydrogenase) and $NAD^+$ can function for biotransformation without electron mediator and second oxidoreductase for $NAD^+$/NADH recycling.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.153-158
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• 2021

In this study, we will determined the total phenolic content (TPC) and the antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract (ME) of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera. L) fruits (DPF) of four native cultivars from Algeria: Ghars (Gh), Chtaya (Cht), DeglaBeïda (DB) and Tinissine (Tns). The TPC of ME of DPF was measured by using Folin-Ciocalteu. Thereafter, the antioxidant capacity of various extracts was determined using DPPH test, reducing power and superoxide anion test. These results showed that dates had strongly scavenging activity on DPPH. The value of IC50 for DPPH radical test was 0.077 mg/ml in Cht. Also, Cht cultivar showed the best-reducing power, which was significantly higher than the other varieties. The less IC50 value in cyclic voltammetry method (CV), which meets the highest effective antioxidant, was 0.006 mg/ml in methanolic extract of Cht.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.171-175
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• 1999

Novel process for high power catalyst electrode for PEM fuel cell has been developed. MEA having this catalyst electrode showed $0.5W/cm^2\;with\;0.2mg/cm^2$ of Pt loading at aunospheric humid hydrogen and oxygen condition. In this process, platinized carbon and plain carbon powders were coated with ionomer (Nafion) and hydrophobic polymer (PTFE), respectively and it could maximize two roles of catalyst electrode, l.e., reaction and gas supplying component. Those polarization characteristics proved the improved performance by reducing potential drop especially in the concentration polarization region.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.451-455
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• 2005

In this study, whole cells and a crude enzyme of Candida peltata were applied to an electrochemical bioreactor, in order to induce an increment of the reduction of xylose to xylitol. Neutral red was utilized as an electron mediator in the whole cell reactor, and a graphite-Mn(IV) electrode was used as a catalyst in the enzyme reactor in order to induce the electrochemical reduction of $NAD^+$ to NADH. The efficiency with which xylose was converted to xylitol in the electrochemical bioreactor was five times higher than that in the conventional bioreactor, when whole cells were employed as a biocatalyst. Meanwhile, the xylose to xylitol reduction efficiency in the enzyme reactor using the graphite-Mn (IV) electrode and $NAD^+$ was twice as high as that observed in the conventional bioreactor which utilized NADH as a reducing power. In order to use the graphite-Mn(IV) electrode as a catalyst for the reduction of $NAD^+$ to NADH, a bioelectrocatalyst was engineered, namely, oxidoreductase (e.g. xylose reductase). $NAD^+$ can function in this biotransformation procedure without any electron mediator or a second oxidoreductase for $NAD^+/NADH$ recycling

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1665-1671
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• 2009

Anaerobic digestion sludge was cultivated in an electrochemical bioreactor (ECB) to enrich the hydrogenotrophic methanogens. A modified graphite felt cathode with neutral red (NR-cathode) was charged with electrochemical reducing power generated from a solar cell. The methane and carbon dioxide collected in a Teflon bag from the ECB were more than 80 ml/l of reactant/day and less than 20 ml/l of reactant/day, respectively, whereas the methane and carbon dioxide collected from a conventional bioreactor (CB) was around 40 ml/l of reactant/day, respectively. Moreover, the maximal volume ratios of methane to carbon dioxide (M/C ratio) collected in the Teflon bag from the ECB and CB were 7 and 1, respectively. The most predominant methanogens isolated from the CB on the $20^{th}$, $80^{th}$, and $150^{th}$ days of incubation were hydrogenotrophs. The methanogenic diversity analyzed by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) of the 16S rDNA variable region was higher in the ECB than in the CB. The DNA extracted from the TGGE bands was more than 95% homologous with hydrogenotrophic methanogens in the ECB, but was an aceticlastic methanogen in the CB. In conclusion, the ECB was demonstrated as a useful system for enriching hydrogenotrophic methanogens and increasing the M/C ratio of the gas product.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

The reduction of nitrogen to produce ammonia has been attracting much attention as a renewable energy technology. Ammonia is the basis for many fertilizers and is also considered an energy carrier that can power internal combustion engines, diesel engines, gas turbines, and fuel cells. Traditionally, ammonia has been produced through the Haber-Bosch process, in which atmospheric nitrogen combines with hydrogen at high temperature ($350-550^{\circ}C$) and high pressure (150-300 bar). This process consumes 1-2% of current global energy production and relies on fossil fuels as an energy source. Reducing the energy input required for this process will reduce $CO_2$ emissions and the corresponding environmental impact. For this reason, developing electrochemical ammonia-production methods under ambient temperature and pressure conditions should significantly reduce the energy input required to produce ammonia. In this review, we introduce the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction at ambient condition. Numerical studies on the electrochemical nitrogen reduction mechanism have been carried out through the computation of density function theory. Electrodes such as nanowires and porous electrodes have been also actively studied for further participation in electrochemical reactions.

• 한국전기화학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.07a
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• pp.211-218
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• 2002

In this study, Pt/Pd (1.1), PtPd (2:1) and PtPd (3:1) binary catalysts and Pt/Ru/Pd (5:4:1) ternary catalyst were designed. The catalysts were synthesized by impregnation method using $NaBH_4$ as a reducing agent. A good catalyst for methanol oxidation requires low on-set potential, stable durability and low activation energy. In order to investigate the catalytic activity for the methanol oxidation, electrochemical measurements such as cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were peformed in sulfuric acid with/without methanol solution. In order to calculate the activation energy of the reaction, electrochemical measurements were also tested at different temperatures. For investigation of the structural analysis such as particle size and alloying, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis were used. In order to identify the role of the Pd and to determine the composition of the surface of the Pt/Pd nanoparticles, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was investigated. The XPS spectra of Pd showed that Pd appears only as a metallic state in the binary catalysts. The chemical states of Pt in PtPd catalysts are both metallic and oxidative. Polarization curves and power density data were obtained by testing the DMFC unit cell performance of PtPd and PtRuPd catalysts. These data showed that Pt/Pd (2:1) and Pt/Ru/Pd (5:4:1) have better performance than Pt and Pt/Ru, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.139-144
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• 2017

Ni(II) containing coenzyme F430 catalyzes the reduction of $CO_2$ in methanogen. Macrocyclic Ni(II) complexes with N,O shiff bases have been received a great attention since metal ions play an important role in the catalysis of reduction. The reducing power of metal complexes are supposed to be dependent on oxidoreduction state of metal ion and structural properties of macrocyclic ring moiety that can enhance electrochemical properties in catalytic process. Six different ${\alpha}$-oximinoketone compounds, precursor of macrocyclic ligands used in $CO_2$ reduction coenzyme F430 model complexes, were synthesized with yields over 90% and characterized by NMR. The molecular geometries of ${\alpha}$-oximinoketone analogues were fully optimized at Beck's-three-parameter hybrid (B3LYP) method in density functional theory (DFT) method with $6-31+G^*$ basis set using the ab initio program. In order to understand molecular planarity and substitutional effects that may enhance reducing power of metal ion are studied by computing the structure-dependent $^{13}C$-NMR chemical shift and comparing with experimental results.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1471-1477
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• 2012

Carotenoids produced by non-photosynthetic bacteria protect organisms against lethal photodynamic reactions and scavenge oxygenic radicals. However, the carotenoid produced by Gordonia alkanivorans SKF120101 is coupled to reducing power generation. SKF120101 selectively produces carotenoid under light conditions. The growth yield of SKF120101 cultivated under light conditions was higher than that under dark condition. In the cyclic voltammetry, both upper and lower voltammograms for neutral red (NR) immobilized in intact cells of SKF120101 were not shifted in the condition without external redox sources but were commonly shifted downward by glucose addition and light. Electric current generation in a biofuel cell system (BFCS) catalyzed by harvested cells of SKF120101 was higher under light than dark condition. The ratio of electricity generation to glucose consumption by SKF120101 cultivated in BFCS was higher under light than dark condition. The carotenoid produced by SKF120101 catalyzes production of reducing power from light energy, first evaluated by the electrochemical technique used in this research.