Sensing oxy anodic microbial fuel cell potential of halotolerant protease producer Priestia megaterium BorS17B13 belonging to mangrove biota

Abstract

Exploring the uncharted nooks of mangrove-rich biota is the key to unlocking the hidden world of industrial opportunities and keeping up with demanding products like microbial-based enzymes. A salt-tolerant bacteria, Priestia megaterium strain, BorS17B13 was isolated from the mangrove-rich biota of Borivali monari creek, Maharashtra, India. The organism was Gram-positive, aerobic, and capable of secreting protease enzymes in abundance using a crude source (wheat flour) as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Optimum protease activity was 739 U/mL at 72 h. Further, its potential was securitized for bioenergy production in a dual chamber of the oxy anodic microbial fuel cell (OA-MFC) with an impeller for analog configurations, like a bioreactor, to achieve homogenized medium. The maximum OCV was 614 mV and the SCC was 3.5 Am-3; they were also studied with an external load/resistor (47 ohm and 100 ohm). The maximum power output was 454 mW, and the volumetric power density was 0.65 mW/m3 (100 ohm). The novel concept of OA-MFCs will highlight the potential for combining technologies and will take aerobic microbes strands into the future by utilizing MFC techniques into “Aerobic biosensors.” Our research as a whole is attractive, as mangrove-associated halotolerant microbes are rarely explored for their OA-MFC potential to date.