Bioelectrochemical processes of oxidation of dicarboxylic amino acids by strain Micrococcus luteus 1-I in a biofuel cell

Abstract

A facultative anaerobic strain was isolated and studied from the activated sludge of the treatment facilities of a petrochemical enterprise. Its morphological and cultural, physiological and biochemical, tinctorial, molecular genetic characteristics have been investigated. Based on the data obtained, strain 1-I was assigned to the species Micrococcus luteus. The electrogenic activity of this bacterium in BFC was shown using dicarboxylic amino acids - glutamic and aspartic. The open-circuit voltage indices in the BFC with M. luteus 1-I increased in 6 days to 511.5 mV with the addition of aspartic acid, and 419 ± 38.5 mV with the addition of glutamic acid. In this case, the short-circuit current increased to 3.17 ± 0.12 and 1.6 ± 0.14 mA, respectively. The specific power of BFCs based on M. luteus 1-I was the highest with the addition of aspartic acid (40-50 mW / m2 at a current density of 0.15 to 0.4 A / m2). The indicated indicator in a similar BFC with glutamic acid was 26-32 mW / m2 (at a current density of 0.08 to 0.28 A / m2). The oxidation of these compounds by the studied bacterial strain was also confirmed by the methods of cyclic voltammetry.