| Abstract [eng] |
This dissertation investigates bioelectrochemical systems and their application in yeast-based microbial fuel cells to enhance extracellular electron transfer and assess the applicability of such systems to real wastewater treatment conditions. The work emphasizes that the main problem of yeast MFCs is low power density and limited long-term stability, related to the cell wall and plasma membrane barrier, therefore, the formation of a conductive and biocompatible cell-electrode interface is used to enhance electron transfer. For this, an extracellular polypyrrole layer and gold nanoparticles were used, which together were supposed to create a synergistic effect of maintaining conductivity and cell viability. Another important goal of the work is to demonstrate the capabilities of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in studying the redox activity of living cells. SECM was applied to human atrial mesenchymal stromal cells in order to assess their redox state and plasma membrane electron transfer in a non-destructive manner. Thus, a methodological basis was formed, which was later applied to the analysis of bioelectrochemical systems. The results show that yeast surface modification can significantly improve the charge transfer and electrical properties of a microbial fuel cell, and the combination of polypyrrole and gold nanoparticles is a promising strategy for developing more efficient, practically applicable bioelectrochemical systems. Additionally, it is shown that the modified systems can be studied in a real wastewater environment, therefore the work contributes to the development of more sustainable energy recovery solutions from waste. |
