Team:Nanjing NFLS
Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are devices that convert chemical energy (even from waste water, applied in pollution treatment) to electrical energy by the action of microorganisms. In our project, we engineer electricity-production-bacteria (like Pseudomonas aeruginosa), by over-expressing genes of phzM, nadE, and rhlA (respectively responsible for three crucial electron producing processes in P. aeruginosa), to improve the electricity output of bacteria incubated MFCs. To ensure safety, we introduce a light controlled kill-switch, “supernova” gene: when bacteria release into the bright environment from the dark chamber of MFCs, light will activate the gene which produces superoxide radical anions to kill the cells. Meanwhile, we intend to modify the hardware of MFCs: infuse certain concentration of heavy metal ions into the anode to facilitate the electricity generation, and use graphite combined with Mn2+/Fe2+ as the cathode so that the cathode can create Fenton reagent to degrade some recalcitrant chemicals.
Abstract
