STTR Phase II: Engineering Geobacter for Enhanced Electricity Production

这个小型企业技术转移（STTR）第二期项目旨在开发商业上可行的菌株（硫还原地杆菌），用于微生物燃料电池的生物催化剂。该研究通过基因操纵这些细菌，使其能够利用替代底物，并通过表达消耗能量的无用循环来增加电流的产生。费率将增加，并在此项目中使用替代更便宜的基材。这项研究的广泛影响将导致新型微生物燃料电池的发展，这种燃料电池可以有效地将可再生资源（如生物质和农业废物）转化为电能，并具有各种商业应用。此外，所开发的创新代谢工程策略可应用于其他工业相关微生物。此外，这个项目还有重要的社会和教育组成部分。一个例子是微生物燃料电池，它利用有机废物发电，在分散发电的同时保护环境，为发展中国家偏远的农村社区供电，这是有价值的。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project aims to develop commercially viable bacterial strains (Geobacter sulfurreducens) for use as biocatalysts in microbial fuel cells. The research genetically manipulates these bacteria to enable the utilization of alternative substrates and increase current generation through the expression of an energy consuming futile cycle. The rates will be increased and alternative cheaper substrates utilized during this project.The broader impact of this research will result in development of novel microbial fuel cells that can convert renewable resources such as biomass and agricultural wastes to electrical energy in an efficient fashion with varied commercial applications. Additionally, innovative the metabolic engineering strategy that is developed could be applied to other industrially relevant microorganisms. In addition, there are significant societal and educational components of this program. One example would be a microbial fuel cell that harnesses electricity from organic waste can be valuable in electrifying remote rural communities in developing countries by decentralizing power generation while protecting the environment.