Biomanufacture of nano-Pd(0) by Escherichia coli and electrochemical activity of bio-Pd(0) made at the expense of H2 and formate as electron donors

J. Courtney, K. Deplanche, N. V. Rees, L. E. Macaskie

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)
    10 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Objective: Palladised cells of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and Shewanella oneidensis have been reported as fuel cell electrocatalysts but growth at scale may be unattractive/costly; we have evaluated the potential of using E. coli, using H2/formate for Pd-nanoparticle manufacture.

    Results: Using ‘bio-Pd’ made under H2 (20 wt%) cyclic voltammograms suggested electrochemical activity of bio-NPs in a native state, attributed to proton adsorption/desorption. Bio-Pd prepared using formate as the electron donor gave smaller, well separated NPs; this material showed no electrochemical properties, and hence little potential for fuel cell use using a simple preparation technique. Bio-Pd on S. oneidensis gave similar results to those obtained using E. coli.

    Conclusion: Bio-Pd is sufficiently conductive to make an E. coli-derived electrochemically active material on intact, unprocessed bacterial cells if prepared at the expense of H2, showing potential for fuel cell applications using a simple one-step preparation method.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1903–1910
    JournalBiotechnology Letters
    Volume38
    Issue number11
    Early online date8 Aug 2016
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2016

    Keywords

    • Bio-Pd
    • E. coli
    • Electrochemical activity
    • Fuel cell
    • Hydrogen production
    • Palladium

    Cite this