Single-Enzyme Biofuel Cells

Chao Ji; Jingwei Hou; Kai Wang; Yun Hau Ng; Vicki Chen

doi:10.1002/anie.201703980

Single-Enzyme Biofuel Cells

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2017 Aug 7;56(33):9762-9766. doi: 10.1002/anie.201703980. Epub 2017 Jul 12.

Authors

Chao Ji^{1

2}, Jingwei Hou¹, Kai Wang³, Yun Hau Ng¹, Vicki Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Australia.
² Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers, Australia.
³ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 28643461
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201703980

Abstract

Herein, we demonstrate that the intramolecular electron transfer within a single enzyme molecule is an important alternative pathway that can be harnessed to generate electricity. By decoupling the redox reactions within a single type of enzyme (for example, Trametes versicolor laccase), we harvested electricity efficiently from unconventional fuels including recalcitrant pollutants (for example, bisphenol A and hydroquinone) in a single-laccase biofuel cell. The intramolecular electron-harnessing concept was further demonstrated with other enzymes, including power generation during CO₂ bioconversion to formate catalyzed by formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii. The novel single-enzyme biofuel cell is shown to have potential for utilizing wastewater as a fuel as well as for generating energy while driving bioconversion of chemical feedstock from CO₂ .

Keywords: electrochemistry; electron transfer; enzymes; fuel cells; laccase.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't