Bioelectrochemical Systems | Dr. Sven Kerzenmacher

Quicklinks: Competence | Examples of Application | Projects and Sponsors | Team | Important publications | In the Media | Partners

Competence

In an interdisciplinary team of biologists, chemists, and engineers, we develop materials and concepts for biofuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems. Our area of work ranges from material screening and the construction of bioreactors to the development and characterization of complete systems designed for practical applications.

Examples of Applications

Energy self-sufficient operation of medical implants like pacemakers
We use noble-metal catalysts to generate electric energy from the direct electrochemical conversion of the body’s own blood sugar (glucose) from the tissue fluid.

In the case of microbial biofuel cells, we use living microorgamisms like bacteria in order to generate electrical energy from waste water.

Projects and Sponsors

• Microbe-electrode composite materials for the renewable production of biofuels
  01.07.2015 – 30.06.2018
• F-MFC2:  Economic evaluation of the filtrating microbial fuel cell   – Simultaneous electricity generation and membrane filtration for energy efficient waste water treatment
  01.03.2015 – 31.12.2017
  
• Economic evaluation of a filtration active microbial fuel cell -  simultaneous power production and membrane filtration for energy efficient wastewater treatment
  01.07.2015 – 28.02.2017
• BioMethanol: sustainable synthesis of the energy-carrier methanol from waste-water,
  01.04.2014 – 31.07.2017
  

• ESE-Biogas – Improving stability and efficiency of biogas production
  BMBF Förderinitiative BioProFi, 01 Jul. 2012  – 30. Jul. 2016
  
• Electrospinning
  Fritz Huettinger Scholarship,  01 Apr. 2012 –31 Mar. 2014
  
• Implantable Glucose Fuel Cell: DFG – Research Training Group “Micro Energy Harvesting,” 01 Oct. 2006–31 Mar. 2016

• Self-Regenerating Enzymatic Biofuel Cell: DFG – Research Training Group “Micro Energy Harvesting”, 01 Oct. 2006 – 31 Mar. 2016
• EmBBarK – Microbial Fuel Cell for Generating Electricity from Biogenic Waste: BMBF – Bioenergy 2021, 01 Oct. 2009–30 Sept. 2014
• RePower – Microbial Fuel Cell for Operation in Waste Water: Baden Württemberg Foundation, Environmental Technology Research, 01 Sept. 2010 – 31 Aug. 2013
• BioPower; EU, 01 Jan 2006 – 31 Dec. 2007
  
  
  
  
  
                                                                                                                                 Quelle: T. Klink / BW Stiftung

Team

• PD Dr. Sven Kerzenmacher, Group Leader
• Said Abdu, PostDoc
  
• Johannes Erben, PhD Candidate
• Maxi Frei, PhD Candidate
• Marielle Fink, PhD Candidate
• Pavaris Viwatthanasittiphong, Master student
• Zachary Pinder, Master student
• Xinyu Wang, Bachelor student
  

Important Publications

• S. Sané, C. Jolivalt, G. Mittler, P. Nielsen, S. Rubenwolf, R. Zengerle, S. Kerzenmacher: Overcoming Bottlenecks of Enzymatic Biofuel Cell Cathodes: Crude Fungal Culture Supernatant Can Help to Extend Lifetime and Reduce Cost, 2013, ChemSusChem, Band: 6, Nummer: 7, Seiten: 1209 - 1215 

• E. Kipf, J. Koch, B. Geiger, J. Erben, K. Richter, J. Gescher, R. Zengerle, S. Kerzenmacher: Systematic screening of carbon-based anode materials for microbial fuel cells with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, 2013, Bioresource Technol, Band: 146, Seiten: 386 - 329 
• A. Kloke, C. Köhler, R. Gerwig, R. Zengerle, S. Kerzenmacher: Cyclic Electrodeposition of PtCu Alloy: Facile Fabrication of Highly Porous Platinum Electrodes, 2012,  Adv Mater, Band: 24, Seiten: 2916 - 2921
  
• Hussein L, Rubenwolf F, von Stetten F, Urban G, Zengerle R, Krueger M, Kerzenmacher S: A highly efficient buckypaper-based electrode material for mediatorless laccase-catalyzed dioxygen reduction, Biosens Bioelectron, 2011; 26: 4133-4138

• Kerzenmacher S, Ducree J, Zengerle R, von Stetten F: Energy Harvesting by Implantable Abiotically Catalyzed Glucose Fuel Cells J Power Sources, 2008; 182 (1): 1-17

In the Media

• TV: SWR Fernsehen, Landesschau aktuell Baden-Württemberg, August 17, 2013: "Sauberer Strom mit Baumpilzen"
• TV: ARD, Die große Show der Naturwunder, July 11, 2013
  
• Newspaper: Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wissen, July 9, 2013, Energiequelle Blut
• Magazine: "Weit Blick" – special edition, Baden Württemberg Stiftung / Bild der Wissenschaft: p. 22 -25 (PDF)
• Online: dpad-Feature, 05 Oct. 2012: "Wissenschaftler nutzen menschliches Blut als Energielieferant", e.g. here
• Magazine: www.baden-intern.de, July 2012, page 48, 
• Weekly newspaper: VDI nachrichten, Oct. 25, 2011
• Radio: dradio.de: Forschung Aktuell, Sept.  07, 2011
• Magazine: Wirtschaftswoche, Aug. 27, 2011

Partners …

• Prof. Dr. Johannes Gescher, Institut für angewandte Biowissenschaften, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie KIT
• Research Training Group „Micro Energy Harvesting“