Power Generation Characteristics and Performance Improvement of a Bio-fuel Cell Using Yeast

Nowadays, bio-fuel cells which utilize the enzymes of microbes are widely noticed. In this study, the authors made a bio-fuel cell which utilized dry yeast along with sucrose as fuel, and conducted experiments under various conditions in order to improve its power generation performance. The kinds and concentrations of the electron mediator and oxidizer solutions and the number of current collectors in the anode and cathode were optimized. As a result, the single bio-fuel cell with six sheets of current collectors (each area was 20 cm) in each of the anode and cathode was able to generate the maximum power of about 9 mW. Moreover, the authors measured the performance of the fuel cell using wild yeast and analyzed the variations in the concentrations of reaction substances, and further conducted experiments using reagents affecting the metabolism of yeast in order to examine the electricity generation mechanism in the bio-fuel cell.