An Overview of Enzymatic Biofuel Cells

Abstract

The continuous increase in the search for alternative energy sources worldwide is pushing the demand for "clean" and efficient energy production processes. The concept of biofuel cell has been known since 1912 but only in 1964 that the first enzyme-based biofuel cell was described. Since then, this kind of device has been the target of many research teams worldwide. This device is an alternative to the fuel cells employing metal catalysts that is capable of converting chemical energy into electricity, with the advantage of using biological molecules as catalysts. This new technology offers several other advantages over traditional batteries, including the use of renewable and clean catalysts, reaction selectivity, fuel flexibility, and the ability to operate at milder temperature. Recent studies have demonstrated promising characteristics of these devices; however, despite the several advances in this area, some challenges still need to be faced. This manuscript aims to provide the reader with an overview of the state of the art in enzymatic biofuel cells by discussing the latest papers in this field and presenting an outlook for future research in this area.

Biohydrogen for a New Generation of H2/O2 Biofuel Cells: A Sustainable Energy Perspective

“…Some groups have recently reported original concepts that couple supercapacitors to EBFCs, [307,308] or mix an enzymatic electrode with a non-rare-metal chemical complex based electrode, which expand the applications of these biodevices. [309,310] The ideal H 2 /O 2 EBFC would be fed with H 2 produced directly from biomass. Although it is known that O 2 -tolerant Hases are insensitive to CO and are more resistant to H 2 S than Pt, [90,288] the influence of biogas contaminants on H 2 oxidation and O 2 reduction needs to be further studied, particularly the effect of H 2 S and CO 2 .…”

Oxygen Electroreduction Catalyzed by Bilirubin Oxidase Does Not Release Hydrogen Peroxide

“…Although direct electron transfer is possible between BOD and electrode [8,9], the use of mediators such as 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) [10] and osmium complexes [5,6,11] facilitates electron transfer from the copper-containing active site of the enzyme to the conductive substrate. To get an efficient heterogeneous catalytic system, different strategies are used to immobilize BOD on the electrode surface, such as adsorption [12][13][14], entrapment [7,15], and covalent attachment [16].…”

Development of nanostructured bioanodes containing dendrimers and dehydrogenases enzymes for application in ethanol biofuel cells

“…Recently, increasing attention has been given to enzymebased biofuel cells, in order to obtain renewable and sustainable power supplies with potential application in portable devices. The exponential interest in biofuel cells accounts for the continuous development of this area (Bullen et al, 2006;Minteer et al, 2007;Amir et al, 2008;Sarma et al, 2009;Aquino Neto et al, 2010).…”