Application of microbial fuel cell in Enterobacter aerogenes and its recombinant strains

Increasing population and rapidly developing technologies increases the need for energy resources day by day. The ongoing extinction of current fossil fuels on earth directs researchers to find interesting, new and renewable energy resources. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) are renewable energy sources and are carbon-neutral systems. Namely, they only emit stable carbon to atmosphere as a result of oxidation of organic materials. The effort for developing renewable energy sources by using biological systems resulted with the usage ofbacteria in these systems as well. MFC systems are reactors converting the chemical energy of organic materials to electrical energy. Bacteria play importantrole in this conversion. In this study, electricity production was aimed ina MFC system (modeling of which was made by us in direction of current principles) by efficient hydrogen production and by using known E.a, vgb and vgb +recombinants. In our study, the voltage values produced by hostsand recombinants in various nutritive environments and the changing heat and pH conditions of these environments were measured. In the conditions where optimum reproduction and voltage measurements were determined, voltage against the resistance in various temperature and pHintervals were recorded. In the beginning of the study reproduction period ? voltage efficiency relation was researched and the most appropriate time was determined as 8.hour. The electrode to be used in MFC system was researchedand carbon electrode was determined to be the most efficient electrode for our system. Studies were made in TB, LB, whey and molasses environments and while TB gave the best reproduction and highest voltage values in all strains, most inappropriate nutrition environment was determined as whey. However taking the biotechnological importance into consideration, usage of molasses was preferred in the former stages of the study. pH and heat optimizations were studied in molasses environment and highest pH value was measured as pH 6 and highest temperature was measured as 37 °C in all strains. In the final stage of our study resistance-voltage relation was researched and the linear relation between resistance and voltage could be observed. KEYWORDS: microbial fuel cell, Vitreoscilla haemoglobin, vgb, molasses, whey, waste water.