Biofuel cells: Electro-enzymatic oxidation of formate using formate dehydrogenase, NAD{sup +}, diaphorase, benzyl viologen, and graphite

Conference · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:141963

Palmmore, G T.R.; Bertschy, H; Bergens, S H; Whitesides, G M ^[1]

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1. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)

The authors have developed an effective electrochemical method to regenerate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD{sup +}) from NADH. Diaphorase (D) was used to oxidize NADH to NAD{sup +} with the concomitant reduction of two equivalents of benzylviologen (BV{sup 2+}) to the mono cation, BV{sup +} to the mono cation, BV{sup +}. The BV{sup +} was then electrochemically oxidized to BV{sup 2+} at a carbon-felt anode: NADH + 2BV{sup 2+} --(D)--> NAD{sup +} + 2BV{sup +} 2BV{sup +}-->(anode)-->2BV{sup 2+}. This system was incorporated into an enzymatic fuel cell that used formate as fuel. Formate dehydrogenase (FDH) was used to oxidize formate to CO{sub 2} with the concomitant 2 e{sup {minus}}, 2H{sup +} reduction of NAD{sup +} to NADH. The NADH was then regenerated using the system described above. The anode of the fuel cell was used to oxidize BV{sup +} to BV{sup 2+}. Blackened Pt gauze as used as the cathode of the fuel cell. The working parameters of the formate/O{sub 2} biofuel cell will be presented including methods to develop this system into the more complex methanol/O{sub 2} biofuel cell.

• OSTI ID: 141963
• Report Number(s): CONF-930304--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
40 CHEMISTRY
BIOTECHNOLOGY
DIAPHORASE
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
FORMATE FUEL CELLS
NAD
REDOX REACTIONS