The current output of the biofuel cells containing a marine alga, Synechococcus sp. and an electron transport mediator, 2-hydroxy-1 ,Cnaphthoquinone (HNQ) was increased under illumination and in the presence of CO,. The inhibitory effects of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-l, 1 -dimethylurea (DCMU), 2,5-dibromomethylisopropyl-pbenzoquinone (DBMIB), phenylmercury acetate (PMA) and N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) on the output current of fuel cells run in the light suggested that HNQ accepts electrons mainly at the site of ferredoxin-NADP' reductase (FNR) in the electron transfer chain. The inhibition of light-induced generation of current output by CCCP indicates that the current is derived from photosynthetic oxidation of water. Endogenous glycogen in algae is required to sustain a steady current output from the fuel cells.

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H(2) and ethanol production from glycerol-containing wastes discharged from a biodiesel fuel production plant by Enterobacter aerogenes NBRC 12010 was demonstrated in bioelectrochemical cells. Thionine as an exogenous electron transfer mediator was reduced by E. aerogenes, and was re-oxidized by a working electrode applied at +0.2 V against a Ag/AgCl reference electrode by a potentiostat (electrode system). At the initial glycerol concentration of 110 mM, 92.9 mM glycerol was consumed in the electrode system with 2 mM thionine after 48 h. On the other hand, the concentration of glycerol consumed was only 50.3 mM under the control conditions without thionine and the electrodes (normal fermentation). There are no differences in the yields of H(2) and ethanol against glycerol consumed between the control conditions and the conditions with the electrode system. A pH of 6.0 was suitable for the H(2) production in the range between pH 6 and pH 7.5 in the electrode system. At pH values of 7.0 and 7.5, H(2) production decreased and formate was remarkably produced in the reaction solution. The rates of both glycerol consumption and the H(2) and ethanol production increased as the thionine concentration and the surface area of the working electrode increased. After 60 h, 154 mM of the initial 161 mM glycerol concentration in the wastes was consumed in the electrode system, which is a 2.6-fold increase compared to the control experiment. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;98: 340-348. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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After immobilization of anaerobes on carbon felt in a fluidized-bed anaerobic digester at an ammonium concentration of 500 mg N/l, the results of real-time PCR analysis indicated that the cell densities of the immobilized methanogens and bacteria increased compared with those of the free-living methanogens and bacteria in the original anaerobically digested sewage sludge, respectively. The results of the clone analysis of the original sludge suggested that the major methanogens were Methanosaeta sp. and the members of the order Methanomicrobiales, and that after immobilization, these were changed to Methanobacterium and Methanosarcina sp. The results of real-time PCR analysis also showed that the ratio of the Methanosaeta sp. in the methanogenic archaea decreased from 58.2% to 0.3% after the immobilization. Methane production decreased at ammonium concentrations of greater than 6000 mg N/l. The results of real-time PCR analysis indicated that the cell density of the immobilized archaea decreased at ammonium concentrations of greater than 3000 mg N/l. On the other hand, the cell density of the immobilized bacteria did not decrease at an ammonium concentration of 6000 mg N/l, but decreased at that of 9000 mg N/l. The major methanogenic clones immobilized on the carbon felt at an ammonium concentration of 3000 or 6000 mg N/l were Methanobacterium sp. The present results indicated that methanogens were relatively more sensitive to ammonium than bacteria.

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