Basic Electrochemistry for Biotechnology

Prof. Dr. Falk Harnisch is an internationally recognized expert on the interface of electrochemistry and microbiology. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, and is the recipient of several awards (UFZ-Research-Award, Helmholtz Young Investigators Group by the Helmholtz Association and the UFZ; Research Award Next generation biotechnological processes by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)). He is the co-editor of 'Bioelectrosynthesis', published in 2019, and holds 4 patents in the field. He was promoted to Full Professor in 'Electrobiotechnology' in 2016 at Leipzig University, and is head of the electrobiotechnology group at the UFZ since October 2019.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Annemiek ter Heijne is an environmental engineer with expertise in microbial electrochemical technologies. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has received two prestigious research grants from the Dutch Scientific Organization NWO, the Veni and the Vidi grant. She holds 6 patents in the field and is currently president of the International Society of Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET). She was appointed Associate Professor at Wageningen University in October 2019.

A Readers' Guide to 'Basic Electrochemistry for Biotechnology
'

A Basic Introduction to Microbial Electrochemical Technologies
- Microbial energy conversion and microbial electrochemical technologies
- Electroactive microorganisms and mechanisms of extracellular electron transfer
- Energetics: the redox tower and a water analogy
- Wastewater characteristics
- Microbial electrochemical technologies: systems & design
- Short alert on terminology

Electrochemical Potential, Electrode Potential, and the Need for Reference Electrodes
- Introduction to electrochemical potentials
- Electrodes and electrode reactions
- The relative electrode potential and the need of reference electrodes

Reaction Equations and Thermodynamics of Electrochemical
Reactions
- Introduction to oxidation and reduction reactions and thermodynamic limits
- How to write and balance reaction equations of (bio)electrochemical reactions
- Thermodynamics of electrochemical conversions

Static Electrochemical Methods
- Introduction to static electrochemical methods
- What are a three-electrode arrangement, a potentiostat or power supply, and for what are they needed?
- The electrochemical double layer and capacitive current
- Potentiometry, amperometry, coulometry and constant current measurements
- Chronoamperometry

Electrochemical Kinetics
- Introduction to electrochemical kinetics
- Basics of electrochemical kinetics
- Electrochemical reversibility
- Overpotential
- The overpotential due to mass transfer
- Potential-current plots and electrode kinetics
- The Butler-Volmer equation
- Tafel equation and Tafel plots
- Electrocatalysis

Dynamic Electrochemical Methods
- Introduction to electrochemical methods with changing electrode potential
- Voltammetry
- Cyclic voltammetry
- Redox-active components in microorganisms
- Acquisition of polarization and power curves using stepwise chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry
- Acquisition of polarization curves using external resistance
- Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Electrochemical Analysis of Reactors
- Introduction to characterization of microbial electrochemical cells
- Mass and electron balances and efficiency of conversions
- Polarization and power curves: analysis of measured data
- Internal resistance and potential losses
- Energy efficiency and voltage efficiency
- Ionic current and transport numbers

The Beauty and Complexity of Basic Electrochemistry for Biotechnology

Appendix
- Abbreviations
- Symbols
- Solutions to exercises