Electrochemical biotechnologies minimizing the required electrode assemblies

Kengo Sasaki; Daisuke Sasaki; Kazuhide Kamiya; Shuji Nakanishi; Akihiko Kondo; Souichiro Kato

doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2018.01.016

Electrochemical biotechnologies minimizing the required electrode assemblies

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2018 Apr:50:182-188. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2018.01.016. Epub 2018 Feb 3.

Authors

Kengo Sasaki¹, Daisuke Sasaki², Kazuhide Kamiya³, Shuji Nakanishi³, Akihiko Kondo⁴, Souichiro Kato⁵

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan. Electronic address: sikengo@people.kobe-u.ac.jp.
² Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
³ Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan; Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan.
⁴ Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan; Biomass Engineering Research Division, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro, Turumi, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
⁵ Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan; Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-17-2-1 Tsukisamu-Higashi, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 062-8517, Japan. Electronic address: s.katou@aist.go.jp.

PMID: 29414058
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2018.01.016

Abstract

Microbial electrochemical systems (MESs) are expected to be put into practical use as an environmental technology that can support a future environmentally friendly society. However, conventional MESs present a challenge of inevitably increasing initial investment, mainly due to requirements for a large numbers of electrode assemblies. In this review, we introduce electrochemical biotechnologies that are under development and can minimize the required electrode assemblies. The novel biotechnologies, called electro-fermentation and indirect electro-stimulation, can drive specific microbial metabolism by electrochemically controlling intercellular and extracellular redox states, respectively. Other technologies, namely electric syntrophy and microbial photo-electrosynthesis, obviate the need for electrode assemblies, instead stimulating targeted reactions by using conductive particles to create new metabolic electron flows.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Bioelectric Energy Sources
Biotechnology / methods*
Electrochemistry / methods*
Electrodes
Electron Transport
Fermentation
Oxidation-Reduction