Optimization of pigments production from bacteria for dye sensitized solar cell application

• Main Author: Wan Siti Kahdijah, Wan Mahiadin
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2015
• Subjects: SB Plant culture
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10824/1/Siti%20%2824%20pages%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10824/2/Siti%20%28fulltext%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10824/

Pigment produced by bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum has known as violacein. Violacein is been used as a natural dye in medical application and many other field. Since 1913, the studies had been done on the C. violaceum nutritional requirements that are necessary to increase the production of violacein by using classical univariate techniques. This study focused on optimization of bacterial pigment where the pigment used as the photosensitizers in Dye Sensitized Solar Cell. The pacterial sample tested with multiple parameters such as different complex media, amino acids, carbon sources and also pH. Optimal condition for the growth of C. violaceum was determined successfully at pH 7 using Luria Bertani broth after 24 hours of fermentation. Additional of L-tryptophan (00 575, 0.397) and glucose (00575, 0.103) in the medium gave optimum violacein production. The pigment obtained from C. violaceum tested on the DSSC and the solar energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency (17) ofDSSC calculated.