Bio-Hydrogen: Electrical Fan Powered by our Engineered E. coli
Fuel Cell
In the fuel cell the hydrogen produced by a bacterial culture reacts with oxygen from air producing electricity and water.
- Type: Solid Polymer Electrolyte (PEM), catalog # 3506 (Hydrogen & Fuel Cell,Claremont, CA).
- Power output: 0.6 W.
Operation of a PEM fuel cell. (Taken from: www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_pem.shtml).
Production of Bio-Hydrogen
An overnight culture (50 mL) of E. coli BW25113 hyaB hybC hycA fdoG/pCA24N-fhlA (1) in complex-formate (100 mM) medium was used to inoculate 175 mL of fresh complex-formate (100 mM) medium; the culture was sparged with nitrogen, to remove oxygen, and incubated under anaerobic condition for six hours at 37oC.
FAN
A fan with an electric load of 20 mW was connected to the output of the fuel cell. Catalog # 7306 (Hydrogen & Fuel Cell,Claremont, CA).
References
- "Metabolic Engineering to Enhance Bacterial Hydrogen Production," T. Maeda, V. Sanchez-Torres, and T. K. Wood, Microb. Biotechnol., 1: 30-39 (2008).