@article {3048, title = {Microbial biofilms for electricity generation from water evaporation and power to wearables.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {13}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 Jul 28}, pages = {4369}, abstract = {

Employing renewable materials for fabricating clean energy harvesting devices can further improve sustainability. Microorganisms can be mass produced with renewable feedstocks. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer microbial biofilms as a cohesive, flexible material for long-term continuous electricity production from evaporating water. Single biofilm sheet (~40 {\textmu}m thick) serving as the functional component in an electronic device continuously produces power density (~1 μW/cm) higher than that achieved with thicker engineered materials. The energy output is comparable to that achieved with similar sized biofilms catalyzing current production in microbial fuel cells, without the need for an organic feedstock or maintaining cell viability. The biofilm can be sandwiched between a pair of mesh electrodes for scalable device integration and current production. The devices maintain the energy production in ionic solutions and can be used as skin-patch devices to harvest electricity from sweat and moisture on skin to continuously power wearable devices. Biofilms made from different microbial species show generic current production from water evaporation. These results suggest that we can harness the ubiquity of biofilms in nature as additional sources of biomaterial for evaporation-based electricity generation in diverse aqueous environments.

}, keywords = {Bioelectric Energy Sources, Biofilms, Electricity, Electrodes, Water, Wearable Electronic Devices}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-32105-6}, author = {Liu, Xiaomeng and Ueki, Toshiyuki and Gao, Hongyan and Woodard, Trevor L and Nevin, Kelly P and Fu, Tianda and Fu, Shuai and Sun, Lu and Lovley, Derek R and Yao, Jun} } @article {3094, title = {Expressing the Geobacter metallireducens PilA in Geobacter sulfurreducens Yields Pili with Exceptional Conductivity.}, journal = {mBio}, volume = {8}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Jan 17}, abstract = {

UNLABELLED: The electrically conductive pili (e-pili) of Geobacter sulfurreducens serve as a model for a novel strategy for long-range extracellular electron transfer. e-pili are also a new class of bioelectronic materials. However, the only other Geobacter pili previously studied, which were from G.~uraniireducens, were poorly conductive. In order to obtain more information on the range of pili conductivities in Geobacter species, the pili of G.~metallireducens were investigated. Heterologously expressing the PilA gene of G.~metallireducens in G.~sulfurreducens yielded a G.~sulfurreducens strain, designated strain MP, that produced abundant pili. Strain MP exhibited phenotypes consistent with the presence of e-pili, such as high rates of Fe(III) oxide reduction and high current densities on graphite anodes. Individual pili prepared at physiologically relevant pH~7 had conductivities of 277 {\textpm} 18.9 S/cm (mean {\textpm} standard deviation), which is 5,000-fold higher than the conductivity of G.~sulfurreducens pili at pH~7 and nearly 1 million-fold higher than the conductivity of G.~uraniireducens pili at the same pH. A potential explanation for the higher conductivity of the G.~metallireducens pili is their greater density of aromatic amino acids, which are known to be important components in electron transport along the length of the pilus. The G.~metallireducens pili represent the most highly conductive pili found to date and suggest strategies for designing synthetic pili with even higher conductivities.

IMPORTANCE: e-pili are a remarkable electrically conductive material that can be sustainably produced without harsh chemical processes from renewable feedstocks and that contain no toxic components in the final product. Thus, e-pili offer an unprecedented potential for developing novel materials, electronic devices, and sensors for diverse applications with a new "green" technology. Increasing e-pili conductivity will even further expand their potential applications. A proven strategy is to design synthetic e-pili that contain tryptophan, an aromatic amino acid not found in previously studied e-pili. The studies reported here demonstrate that a productive alternative approach is to search more broadly in the microbial world. Surprisingly, even though G.~metallireducens and G.~sulfurreducens are closely related, the conductivities of their e-pili differ by more than 3 orders of magnitude. The ability to produce e-pili with high conductivity without generating a genetically modified product enhances the attractiveness of this novel electronic material.

}, keywords = {Electric Conductivity, Electrodes, Electron Transport, Ferric Compounds, Fimbriae Proteins, Gene Expression, Geobacter, Oxidation-Reduction, Recombinant Proteins}, issn = {2150-7511}, doi = {10.1128/mBio.02203-16}, author = {Tan, Yang and Adhikari, Ramesh Y and Malvankar, Nikhil S and Ward, Joy E and Woodard, Trevor L and Nevin, Kelly P and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {3107, title = {Protozoan grazing reduces the current output of microbial fuel cells.}, journal = {Bioresour Technol}, volume = {193}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {8-14}, abstract = {

Several experiments were conducted to determine whether protozoan grazing can reduce current output from sediment microbial fuel cells. When marine sediments were amended with eukaryotic inhibitors, the power output from the fuel cells increased 2-5-fold. Quantitative PCR showed that Geobacteraceae sequences were 120 times more abundant on anodes from treated fuel cells compared to untreated fuel cells, and that Spirotrichea sequences in untreated fuel cells were 200 times more abundant on anode surfaces than in the surrounding sediments. Defined studies with current-producing biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens and pure cultures of protozoa demonstrated that protozoa that were effective in consuming G. sulfurreducens reduced current production up to 91\% when added to G. sulfurreducens fuel cells. These results suggest that anode biofilms are an attractive food source for protozoa and that protozoan grazing can be an important factor limiting the current output of sediment microbial fuel cells.

}, keywords = {Bioelectric Energy Sources, Biofilms, Electricity, Electrodes, Eukaryota, Geobacter, Geologic Sediments}, issn = {1873-2976}, doi = {10.1016/j.biortech.2015.06.056}, author = {Holmes, Dawn E and Nevin, Kelly P and Snoeyenbos-West, Oona L and Woodard, Trevor L and Strickland, Justin N and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {424, title = {Electrosynthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide is catalyzed by a diversity of acetogenic microorganisms.}, journal = {Appl Environ Microbiol}, volume = {77}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 May}, pages = {2882-6}, abstract = {Microbial electrosynthesis, a process in which microorganisms use electrons derived from electrodes to reduce carbon dioxide to multicarbon, extracellular organic compounds, is a potential strategy for capturing electrical energy in carbon-carbon bonds of readily stored and easily distributed products, such as transportation fuels. To date, only one organism, the acetogen Sporomusa ovata, has been shown to be capable of electrosynthesis. The purpose of this study was to determine if a wider range of microorganisms is capable of this process. Several other acetogenic bacteria, including two other Sporomusa species, Clostridium ljungdahlii, Clostridium aceticum, and Moorella thermoacetica, consumed current with the production of organic acids. In general acetate was the primary product, but 2-oxobutyrate and formate also were formed, with 2-oxobutyrate being the predominant identified product of electrosynthesis by C. aceticum. S. sphaeroides, C. ljungdahlii, and M. thermoacetica had high (>80\%) efficiencies of electrons consumed and recovered in identified products. The acetogen Acetobacterium woodii was unable to consume current. These results expand the known range of microorganisms capable of electrosynthesis, providing multiple options for the further optimization of this process.}, keywords = {Acetobacterium, Carbon Dioxide, Clostridium, Electrodes, Electrons, Moorella, Organic Chemicals, Oxidation-Reduction, Veillonellaceae}, issn = {1098-5336}, doi = {10.1128/AEM.02642-10}, author = {Nevin, Kelly P and Hensley, Sarah A and Franks, Ashley E and Summers, Zarath M and Ou, Jianhong and Woodard, Trevor L and Snoeyenbos-West, Oona L and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {462, title = {Anode biofilm transcriptomics reveals outer surface components essential for high density current production in Geobacter sulfurreducens fuel cells.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {4}, year = {2009}, month = {2009}, pages = {e5628}, abstract = {The mechanisms by which Geobacter sulfurreducens transfers electrons through relatively thick (>50 microm) biofilms to electrodes acting as a sole electron acceptor were investigated. Biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens were grown either in flow-through systems with graphite anodes as the electron acceptor or on the same graphite surface, but with fumarate as the sole electron acceptor. Fumarate-grown biofilms were not immediately capable of significant current production, suggesting substantial physiological differences from current-producing biofilms. Microarray analysis revealed 13 genes in current-harvesting biofilms that had significantly higher transcript levels. The greatest increases were for pilA, the gene immediately downstream of pilA, and the genes for two outer c-type membrane cytochromes, OmcB and OmcZ. Down-regulated genes included the genes for the outer-membrane c-type cytochromes, OmcS and OmcT. Results of quantitative RT-PCR of gene transcript levels during biofilm growth were consistent with microarray results. OmcZ and the outer-surface c-type cytochrome, OmcE, were more abundant and OmcS was less abundant in current-harvesting cells. Strains in which pilA, the gene immediately downstream from pilA, omcB, omcS, omcE, or omcZ was deleted demonstrated that only deletion of pilA or omcZ severely inhibited current production and biofilm formation in current-harvesting mode. In contrast, these gene deletions had no impact on biofilm formation on graphite surfaces when fumarate served as the electron acceptor. These results suggest that biofilms grown harvesting current are specifically poised for electron transfer to electrodes and that, in addition to pili, OmcZ is a key component in electron transfer through differentiated G. sulfurreducens biofilms to electrodes.}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins, Bioelectric Energy Sources, Biofilms, Cytochromes, Electrodes, Electron Transport, Fumarates, Gene Deletion, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Genetic Complementation Test, Geobacter, Microscopy, Confocal, Molecular Sequence Data, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, Oxidation-Reduction, RNA, Messenger, Up-Regulation}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0005628}, author = {Nevin, Kelly P and Kim, Byoung-Chan and Glaven, Richard H and Johnson, Jessica P and Woodard, Trevor L and Meth{\'e}, Barbara A and Didonato, Raymond J and Covalla, Sean F and Franks, Ashley E and Liu, Anna and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {475, title = {Graphite electrode as a sole electron donor for reductive dechlorination of tetrachlorethene by Geobacter lovleyi.}, journal = {Appl Environ Microbiol}, volume = {74}, year = {2008}, month = {2008 Oct}, pages = {5943-7}, abstract = {The possibility that graphite electrodes can serve as the direct electron donor for microbially catalyzed reductive dechlorination was investigated with Geobacter lovleyi. In an initial evaluation of whether G. lovleyi could interact electronically with graphite electrodes, cells were provided with acetate as the electron donor and an electrode as the sole electron acceptor. Current was produced at levels that were ca. 10-fold lower than those previously reported for Geobacter sulfurreducens under similar conditions, and G. lovleyi anode biofilms were correspondingly thinner. When an electrode poised at -300 mV (versus a standard hydrogen electrode) was provided as the electron donor, G. lovleyi effectively reduced fumarate to succinate. The stoichiometry of electrons consumed to succinate produced was 2:1, the ratio expected if the electrode served as the sole electron donor for fumarate reduction. G. lovleyi effectively reduced tetrachloroethene (PCE) to cis-dichloroethene with a poised electrode as the sole electron donor at rates comparable to those obtained when acetate serves as the electron donor. Cells were less abundant on the electrodes when the electrodes served as an electron donor than when they served as an electron acceptor. PCE was not reduced in controls without cells or when the current supply to cells was interrupted. These results demonstrate that G. lovleyi can use a poised electrode as a direct electron donor for reductive dechlorination of PCE. The ability to colocalize dechlorinating microorganisms with electrodes has several potential advantages for bioremediation of subsurface chlorinated contaminants, especially in source zones where electron donor delivery is challenging and often limits dechlorination.}, keywords = {Acetic Acid, Biofilms, Biomass, Electricity, Electrodes, Electrons, Ethylene Dichlorides, Fumarates, Geobacter, Graphite, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning, Succinic Acid, Tetrachloroethylene}, issn = {1098-5336}, doi = {10.1128/AEM.00961-08}, author = {Strycharz, Sarah M and Woodard, Trevor L and Johnson, Jessica P and Nevin, Kelly P and Sanford, Robert A and L{\"o}ffler, Frank E and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {514, title = {Biofilm and nanowire production leads to increased current in Geobacter sulfurreducens fuel cells.}, journal = {Appl Environ Microbiol}, volume = {72}, year = {2006}, month = {2006 Nov}, pages = {7345-8}, abstract = {Geobacter sulfurreducens developed highly structured, multilayer biofilms on the anode surface of a microbial fuel cell converting acetate to electricity. Cells at a distance from the anode remained viable, and there was no decrease in the efficiency of current production as the thickness of the biofilm increased. Genetic studies demonstrated that efficient electron transfer through the biofilm required the presence of electrically conductive pili. These pili may represent an electronic network permeating the biofilm that can promote long-range electrical transfer in an energy-efficient manner, increasing electricity production more than 10-fold.}, keywords = {Acetates, Bioelectric Energy Sources, Biofilms, Electricity, Electrodes, Electron Transport, Fimbriae, Bacterial, Geobacter, Microscopy, Confocal, Mutation, Nanowires}, issn = {0099-2240}, doi = {10.1128/AEM.01444-06}, author = {Reguera, Gemma and Nevin, Kelly P and Nicoll, Julie S and Covalla, Sean F and Woodard, Trevor L and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {513, title = {Microarray and genetic analysis of electron transfer to electrodes in Geobacter sulfurreducens.}, journal = {Environ Microbiol}, volume = {8}, year = {2006}, month = {2006 Oct}, pages = {1805-15}, abstract = {Whole-genome analysis of gene expression in Geobacter sulfurreducens revealed 474 genes with transcript levels that were significantly different during growth with an electrode as the sole electron acceptor versus growth on Fe(III) citrate. The greatest response was a more than 19-fold increase in transcript levels for omcS, which encodes an outer-membrane cytochrome previously shown to be required for Fe(III) oxide reduction. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Northern analyses confirmed the higher levels of omcS transcripts, which increased as power production increased. Deletion of omcS inhibited current production that was restored when omcS was expressed in trans. Transcript expression and genetic analysis suggested that OmcE, another outer-membrane cytochrome, is also involved in electron transfer to electrodes. Surprisingly, genes for other proteins known to be important in Fe(III) reduction such as the outer-membrane c-type cytochrome, OmcB, and the electrically conductive pilin "nanowires" did not have higher transcript levels on electrodes, and deletion of the relevant genes did not inhibit power production. Changes in the transcriptome suggested that cells growing on electrodes were subjected to less oxidative stress than cells growing on Fe(III) citrate and that a number of genes annotated as encoding metal efflux proteins or proteins of unknown function may be important for growth on electrodes. These results demonstrate for the first time that it is possible to evaluate gene expression, and hence the metabolic state, of microorganisms growing on electrodes on a genome-wide basis and suggest that OmcS, and to a lesser extent OmcE, are important in electron transfer to electrodes. This has important implications for the design of electrode materials and the genetic engineering of microorganisms to improve the function of microbial fuel cells.}, keywords = {Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins, Blotting, Northern, Cytochromes c, Electrodes, Electrophysiology, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Geobacter, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, Oxidation-Reduction, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, RNA, Bacterial, RNA, Messenger}, issn = {1462-2912}, doi = {10.1111/j.1462-2920.2006.01065.x}, author = {Holmes, Dawn E and Chaudhuri, Swades K and Nevin, Kelly P and Mehta, Teena and Meth{\'e}, Barbara A and Liu, Anna and Ward, Joy E and Woodard, Trevor L and Webster, Jennifer and Lovley, Derek R} } @article {529, title = {Potential for quantifying expression of the Geobacteraceae citrate synthase gene to assess the activity of Geobacteraceae in the subsurface and on current-harvesting electrodes.}, journal = {Appl Environ Microbiol}, volume = {71}, year = {2005}, month = {2005 Nov}, pages = {6870-7}, abstract = {The Geobacteraceae citrate synthase is phylogenetically distinct from those of other prokaryotes and is a key enzyme in the central metabolism of Geobacteraceae. Therefore, the potential for using levels of citrate synthase mRNA to estimate rates of Geobacter metabolism was evaluated in pure culture studies and in four different Geobacteraceae-dominated environments. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR studies with mRNA extracted from cultures of Geobacter sulfurreducens grown in chemostats with Fe(III) as the electron acceptor or in batch with electrodes as the electron acceptor indicated that transcript levels of the citrate synthase gene, gltA, increased with increased rates of growth/Fe(III) reduction or current production, whereas the expression of the constitutively expressed housekeeping genes recA, rpoD, and proC remained relatively constant. Analysis of mRNA extracted from groundwater collected from a U(VI)-contaminated site undergoing in situ uranium bioremediation revealed a remarkable correspondence between acetate levels in the groundwater and levels of transcripts of gltA. The expression of gltA was also significantly greater in RNA extracted from groundwater beneath a highway runoff recharge pool that was exposed to calcium magnesium acetate in June, when acetate concentrations were high, than in October, when the levels had significantly decreased. It was also possible to detect gltA transcripts on current-harvesting anodes deployed in freshwater sediments. These results suggest that it is possible to monitor the in situ metabolic rate of Geobacteraceae by tracking the expression of the citrate synthase gene.}, keywords = {Acetates, Citrate (si)-Synthase, Deltaproteobacteria, DNA, Ribosomal, Electrodes, Ferric Compounds, Fresh Water, Geobacter, Geologic Sediments, Petroleum, Phylogeny, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Uranium, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Pollutants, Radioactive}, issn = {0099-2240}, doi = {10.1128/AEM.71.11.6870-6877.2005}, author = {Holmes, Dawn E and Nevin, Kelly P and O{\textquoteright}Neil, Regina A and Ward, Joy E and Adams, Lorrie A and Woodard, Trevor L and Vrionis, Helen A and Lovley, Derek R} }