Microbial Flow Fuel Cells Interactive Demo
Explore the breakthrough research from "High power density redox-mediated Shewanella microbial flow fuel cells" by Leyuan Zhang, Yucheng Zhang, Yang Liu, Sibo Wang, Calvin K. Lee, Yu Huang, Xiangfeng Duan(2024) showcasing revolutionary biofilm-free operation with 10x power improvements.
Research Overview
Breakthrough Innovation
Microbial Flow Fuel Cells (MFFCs)
Biofilm-free operation with flowing planktonic bacteria
Eliminates mass transport limitations of conventional biofilm-based MFCs
Fundamental Equations
Lactate Oxidation (Anode)
Four-electron oxidation of lactate to acetate and CO2
Ferricyanide Reduction (Cathode)
One-electron reduction of ferricyanide at cathode
Redox Mediator Cycle
Mediator accepts electrons from bacteria metabolism
Electron Transfer to Electrode
Reduced mediator transfers electron to carbon felt electrode
System Architecture
Flow-through architecture eliminates biofilm limitations
Components
Operating Conditions
Key Research Findings
Biofilm-free operation breakthrough
10x power density improvement
Eliminates fundamental tradeoff between biofilm thickness and mass transport
Redox mediator optimization
17.6 mW/cm² maximum power density
2,7-AQDS provides optimal balance of solubility and redox potential
Internal resistance reduction
From 1000+ ohms to ~2 ohms
500x reduction in total internal resistance vs conventional MFCs
Commercial viability pathway
Enables practical bioelectrochemical applications
Power densities approaching direct methanol fuel cells
Scalable flow architecture
Industrial wastewater treatment potential
Flow-through design enables modular scaling
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