Team:NTU-Singapore

For a cleaner Singapore

SHEZAPS!

Abstract

The world is facing an impending energy crisis due to our over-reliance on fossil fuels, which are rapidly being depleted. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore alternative energy sources that are renewable and affordable. A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an attractive solution to the global energy crisis. It is a device that utilizes microorganisms to convert chemical energy stored in various organic or inorganic compounds to electrical current. In our project, we seek to explore the usage of Shewanella bacteria in MFCs. We are performing flux balance analysis on the metabolic network of Shewanella and are genetically perturbing different nodes in the network to determine if the power output of the MFC can be enhanced. Additionally, we are developing and characterizing new genetic parts to aid us in our engineering of the Shewanella bacteria.