A system-oriented strategy to enhance electron production of
Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 in bio-photovoltaic devices: experimental and
modeling insights
Abstract
Bio-photovoltaic devices (BPVs) harness photosynthetic organisms to
produce bioelectricity in an eco-friendly way. However, their low energy
efficiency is still a challenge. A comprehension of metabolic
constraints can result in finding strategies for efficiency enhancement.
This study presents a systemic approach based on metabolic modeling to
design a regulatory defined medium, reducing the intracellular
constraints in bioelectricity generation of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803
through the cellular metabolism alteration. The approach identified key
reactions that played a critical role in improving electricity
generation in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 by comparing multiple optimal
solutions of minimal and maximal NADH generation using two criteria.
Regulatory compounds, which controlled the enzyme activity of the key
reactions, were obtained from the BRENDA database. The selected
compounds were subsequently added to the culture media, and their effect
on bioelectricity generation was experimentally assessed. The power
density curves for different culture media showed the BPV fed by
Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 suspension in BG-11 supplemented with NH4Cl
achieved the maximum power density of 148.27 mW m-2. This produced power
density was more than 40.5-fold of what was obtained for the BPV fed
with cyanobacterial suspension in BG-11. The effect of the activators on
BPV performance was also evaluated by comparing their overpotential,
maximum produced power density, and biofilm morphology under different
conditions. These findings demonstrated the crucial role of cellular
metabolism in improving bioelectricity generation in BPVs.