화학공학소재연구정보센터
Biotechnology Letters, Vol.32, No.12, 1821-1828, 2010
Biorefining of precious metals from wastes: an answer to manufacturing of cheap nanocatalysts for fuel cells and power generation via an integrated biorefinery?
Bio-manufacturing of nano-scale palladium was achieved via enzymatically-mediated deposition of Pd from solution using Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Escherichia coli and Cupriavidus metallidurans. Dried 'Bio-Pd' materials were sintered, applied onto carbon papers and tested as anodes in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell for power production. At a Pd(0) loading of 25% by mass the fuel cell power using Bio-Pd-D. desulfuricans (positive control) and Bio-Pd-E. coli (negative control) was similar to 140 and similar to 30 mW respectively. Bio-Pd-C. metallidurans was intermediate between these with a power output of similar to 60 mW. An engineered strain of E. coli (IC007) was previously reported to give a Bio-Pd that was >3-fold more active than Bio-Pd of the parent E. coli MC4100 (i.e. a power output of >110 mW). Using this strain, a mixed metallic catalyst was manufactured from an industrial processing waste. This 'Bioprecious metal' ('Bio-PM') gave similar to 68% of the power output as commercial Pd(0) and similar to 50% of that of Bio-Pd-D. desulfuricans when used as fuel cell anodic material. The results are discussed in relation to integrated bioprocessing for clean energy.