cysA, cysP, and rpoS mutations increase the power density in P. aeruginosa microbial fuel cells: Performing enhancement based on metabolic flux analysis
Juan Diego Mejía, Cindy Stephany Rojas, Laura Avellaneda Franco, David Alejandro Urbina Gómez, Beatriz Helena Correa Arias, Nubia Milena Velasco Rodriguez, Maria Teresa Cortes Montañez, Martha Josefina Vives-Flórez, Andrés Fernando González Barrios
Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas (CIMIC), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Grupo de Dise?o de Productos y Procesos (GDPP), Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación en Producción y Logística (PYLO), Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Laboratorio de Electroquímica y Materiales Poliméricos, Departamento de Química, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
DOI: 10.4236/abb.2013.41015   PDF    HTML   XML   4,525 Downloads   7,675 Views   Citations

Abstract

This study presents the simulation of a MFC with Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on a metabolic flux analysis (MFA) which arises as a linear programming model that served as input for the fuel cell model. The linear model was implemented in Xpress MP? and the coupling model in Comsol Multiphysics?. The in silico model predicted maximum potentials of 0.135 V which were consistent with those obtained in the experimental cell. Afterwards, an optimization platform based on multiobjective optimization approach was implemented aimed to determine genes that increase the average cell power. cysA, cysP and rpoS mutants which were predicted to increase the power of the cell, were experimentally tested with an air cathode fuel cell finding an augment up to 35-fold in the average power density for the rpoS mutant. Power densities were obtained through experimentation in the range of [0.13 - 5] mW/m2. Electron shuttle rise was qualitative corroborated trough cyclic voltammetry tests, which allowed to visualize the augment of the peaks for rpoS mutation.

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Mejía, J. , Rojas, C. , Franco, L. , Gómez, D. , Arias, B. , Rodriguez, N. , Montañez, M. , Vives-Flórez, M. and Barrios, A. (2013) cysA, cysP, and rpoS mutations increase the power density in P. aeruginosa microbial fuel cells: Performing enhancement based on metabolic flux analysis. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 4, 103-111. doi: 10.4236/abb.2013.41015.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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