Discover insights from thousands of peer-reviewed papers on microbial electrochemical systems
João Vitor Aires Teixeira, Elki Cristina De Souza
DESAFIOS - Revista Interdisciplinar da Universidade Federal do Tocantins · 2025
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide a sustainable solution for wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation, with their efficiency being highly dependent on microbial community composition, which varies considerably across effluent types and operational conditions. In this study, metagenomic sequencing libraries of 16S rRNA amplicons were obtained from 227 samples across 30 published MFC studies. These libraries were processed using the QIIME2 v2025.5.1 amplicon data analysis pipeline to perform taxonomic classification, evaluate microbial diversity metrics, and infer functional pathway associations. Despite the variability observed, common electroactive genera such as Geobacter (1.10%) and organic matter degraders like Proteiniphilum (0.84%) were consistently identified, along with halotolerant Halobacteriota in high-salinity environments. At the phylum level, Pseudomonadota (13.45%) and Bacteroidota (9.88%) were predominant, with functional pathways linked to extracellular electron transfer, biofilm formation, and pollutant degradation. These findings underscore key microbial taxa and metabolic processes critical to MFC performance, providing a foundation for optimizing microbial consortia and refining operational strategies to enhance bioenergy production and wastewater treatment across diverse environmental contexts.
Misto, Siswanto, Tri Mulyono et al.
BIO Web of Conferences · 2023
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a promising technology that converts organic waste into electrical energy through bacterial activity. The process involves capturing a low voltage of approximately 0.4 V generated by the MFC using a small capacitor, which is then stored and transferred to a larger capacitor to increase the capacity. In order for this energy to be used for general AC-powered devices, an inverter is essential to convert the DC output to AC. This system, consisting of a series of capacitors and inverters, along with voltage dampers and rectifiers, forms a circuit that can potentially function as an efficient low-power generator. The effectiveness of this arrangement remains to be tested, which will determine its viability as a renewable energy storage solution.
Min-Chi Hsieh, Chiu-Yu Cheng, Man-Hai Liu et al.
Sensors · 2015
The conventional Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) method takes five days to analyze samples. A microbial fuel cell (MFC) may be an alternate tool for rapid BOD determination in water. However, a MFC biosensor for continuous BOD measurements of water samples is still unavailable. In this study, a MFC biosensor inoculated with known mixed cultures was used to determine the BOD concentration. Effects of important parameters on establishing a calibration curve between the BOD concentration and output signal from the MFC were evaluated. The results indicate monosaccharides were good fuel, and methionine, phenylalanine, and ethanol were poor fuels for electricity generation by the MFC. Ions in the influent did not significantly affect the MFC performance. CN− in the influent could alleviate the effect of antagonistic electron acceptors on the MFC performance. The regression equation for BOD concentration and current density of the biosensor was y = 0.0145x + 0.3317. It was adopted to measure accurately and continuously the BOD concentration in actual water samples at an acceptable error margin. These results clearly show the developed MFC biosensor has great potential as an alternative BOD sensing device for online measurements of wastewater BOD.
Siti Kudnie Sahari, Nashley Ursula Mundi Ujai, Thommy Thomas et al.
Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology · 2025
The study examines the effect of chamber size, Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) arrangement, environmental conditions on voltage production, and the influence of connecting Power Management System (PMS) with MFC. A 6-unit single-chamber MFC device was built using soil as a catalyst and coconut leaves as a substrate. It was then connected to a PMS. The study showed that a 350 ml MFC unit arranged in series produced a greater voltage of 457 mV compared to a 700 ml container. The smaller chamber was connected in series and integrated with a PMS consisting of a charge pump, DC-DC boost converter, and Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), which led to a maximum stable voltage of 10.56 V. It highlights the possibility of increasing voltage consistently by using smaller MFC chambers, dirt as a catalyst, coconut leaves as a substrate, and aluminum as an electrode, together with a thorough PMS setup.
Jenna Heilmann, Bruce E. Logan
Water Environment Research · 2006
Electricity generation was examined from proteins and a protein‐rich wastewater using a single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC). The maximum power densities achieved were 354 ± 10 mW/m 2 using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 269 ± 14 mW/m 2 using peptone (1100 mg/L BSA and 300 mg/L peptone). The recovery of organic matter as electricity, defined as the Coulombic efficiency (CE), was comparable to that obtained with other substrates with CE = 20.6% for BSA and CE = 6.0% for peptone. A meat packing wastewater (MPW), diluted to 1420 mg/L chemical oxygen demand, produced 80 ± 1 mW/m 2 , and power was increased by 33% by adding salt (300 mg/L sodium chloride) to increase solution conductivity. A wastewater inoculum generated 33% less power than the MPW inoculum. The MFC was an effective method of wastewater treatment, demonstrated by >86% of biochemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon removal from wastewater.
P Gajbhiye, K S Maan, J S Kahlon
Journal of Physics: Conference Series · 2022
Abstract Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) has been attracting significant attention as it not only treats waste water but also generates electricity from using waste water thereby producing electricity. The present paper presents the use of MFC in converting the waste water into electricity using a PVA membrane and graphite electrodes assembled in a lab made single MFC stack. The highest voltage obtained as 452 mV in open circuit condition which got stabilized after working for 8hrs of operation and the membrane lasted for more than 10 days of operation. The maximum current density produced was 1400mA/sqm and the ion exchange capacity was found to be 1.2meq/gm. FTIR, contact angle, TGA and SEM analysis of the membrane was also done.
Carlo Santoro, Cristina Flores-Cadengo, Francesca Soavi et al.
Scientific Reports · 2018
Abstract In this work, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) stack containing 28 ceramic MFCs was tested in both standard and supercapacitive modes. The MFCs consisted of carbon veil anodes wrapped around the ceramic separator and air-breathing cathodes based on activated carbon catalyst pressed on a stainless steel mesh. The anodes and cathodes were connected in parallel. The electrolytes utilized had different solution conductivities ranging from 2.0 mScm −1 to 40.1 mScm −1 , simulating diverse wastewaters. Polarization curves of MFCs showed a general enhancement in performance with the increase of the electrolyte solution conductivity. The maximum stationary power density was 3.2 mW (3.2 Wm −3 ) at 2.0 mScm −1 that increased to 10.6 mW (10.6 Wm −3 ) at the highest solution conductivity (40.1 mScm −1 ). For the first time, MFCs stack with 1 L operating volume was also tested in supercapacitive mode, where full galvanostatic discharges are presented. Also in the latter case, performance once again improved with the increase in solution conductivity. Particularly, the increase in solution conductivity decreased dramatically the ohmic resistance and therefore the time for complete discharge was elongated, with a resultant increase in power. Maximum power achieved varied between 7.6 mW (7.6 Wm −3 ) at 2.0 mScm −1 and 27.4 mW (27.4 Wm −3 ) at 40.1 mScm −1 .
Oluwatosin Obata, Xavier Alexis Walter, John Greenman et al.
ECS Meeting Abstracts · 2018
Microbial fuel cell technology harnesses the potential of some naturally occurring bacteria for electricity generation. To initiate the operation of microbial fuel cells, inoculation with different types of bacterial community, including those found in activated sludge, are employed. There are however, health hazards associated with the use of digested activated sludge and this of course depends on where the sample has been sourced from. Organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enteric viruses have been reported in activated sludge, which can have practical difficulties when working with such samples. Therefore, the development of an efficient electroactive bacterial community, capable of producing optimum power output without the need for sludge inoculation, would eliminate any potential risks. In the current study, we developed an efficient electroactive bacterial community within a ceramic based MFC system, using only fresh urine as the inoculum. Efficient biofilm development was achieved by stepwise adjustment of the external resistance, following 48 hours of open circuit operation. This resulted in a uniform bacterial community with power output levels >50% higher than those inoculated (as per standard practice) with activated sludge. The results showed that power generation begins within 2 days of experimental set-up, compared to at least 5 days in sludge inoculated systems, thus significantly reducing start up time. Incidentally, the development of the bacterial community occurs irrespective of the freshness or age of the urine feed. Given the difficulty in moving suitable activated sludge across countries/borders and that practical application of MFCs technology is more likely to occur in remote rural locations, it is possible that suitable activated sludge might not be available for inoculation locally. Therefore, deployment of MFC systems capable of producing optimum power without the need for sludge-inoculation would be beneficial to their widespread global application. This is the first report of an in situ development of an electroactive bacterial community in urine-fed MFC systems that outperform those initially inoculated with activated sludge. Keywords: In situ bacterial community development, Microbial fuel cell, Fresh urine, Electrogenic bacterial community.
Zaini Abdul Halim, Nor Raihana Abu Sepian, Khairiah Abd Karim
Materials Science Forum · 2017
This study is conducted to determine the potential of palm oil mill effluent (POME) as medium for growing sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) in anaerobic condition for microbial fuel cell application. In this study, effect of different percentage (20-70%) of POME was investigated on the growing cell of SRB. The bacterium was propagated in 400 ml Schott bottle at 35°C, pH 7.8 purged with nitrogen gas. The optical density during the growth of SRB was measured using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer at 600nm wavelength and the weight of dry cell was calculated to determine the specific growth rate. The highest specific growth rate (0.0636/hr) of SRB was achieved using 20% of POME compared to the media without POME (0.0464/hr). The increment is around 37%. The output voltage with 20% of POME is 0.23V which is 55.5% improvement compared to the medium without POME, thus proved that POME has the potential as growth medium for SRB in anaerobic condition for microbial fuel cell application. Booster circuit is possible to be used to boost the output voltage of the MFC until 3V which is more useful for electronic applications.
Cynthia K. Akaluka, Justinah C. Orji, Wesley Braide et al.
International Letters of Natural Sciences · 2016
The capacity of Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to produce voltage and concurrently treat abattoir waste water was investigated in MFCs that used 0.1M potassium ferricyanide (K3[Fe(CN)6] as catholytes. Physicochemical, electrochemical and Microbiological properties of the MFCs were monitored. The open circuit voltage (OCV) readings were taken at 3 hours interval and maximum OCV of 965mV was recorded. Also, The physicochemical characteristics of the MFCs revealed that the pH decreased by 0.2 after treatment; Chemical Oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia, and total nitrogen reduced by 88.4%, 65.56%, 43.88%, 60% and 60% respectively. However, Phosphate increased by 54%. The bacterial isolates from the raw abattoir wastewater were Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus while Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli were isolated from the biofilms on the anode. Microbial fuel cells therefore have capacities for simultaneous waste water treatment and electricity generation.
K. Saravanakumar, R. Rajeswari
Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience · 2019
Summary Renewable energy sources are useful for sustainable monitoring, but still very limited today due to various implementation constraints. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are considered a promising renewable power source for remote monitoring applications. They are used as wireless temperature sensors and biosensors due to their ability in powering environmental sensors. MFCs can provide ultralow and dynamic power, and hence, energy improvement is crucial for self‐powered biosensors. Cloud computing–based IoT framework is proposed for environment monitoring using MFC‐based biosensors. This paper presents the electric energy harvesting from Oryza Sativa plants with bacteria as the catalyst. It adopts the technology of MFC in the plants to extract the maximum energy. An effective power management with IoT cloud framework is presented in this work to independently operate multiple MFCs to generate maximum power. Independently operated MFCs with electrically isolated electrodes have been utilized in the design of a suitable power management system. Cloud computing is utilized in this work to process the data generated in continuous monitoring of environment. Experimental results show that the proposed framework can achieve sustainable power for sensor nodes and achieves maximum performance in environment monitoring using cloud‐based IoT platform.
Matheus Henrique Alcântara de Lima Cardozo, Isabel Cristina Braga Rodrigues, Demian Patrick Fabiano et al.
Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · 2024
Objective: This work aimed to employ fuzzy logic combined with the design of experiments technique to statistically evaluate how the microbial fuel cells operating parameters influence their performance. Theoretical Framework: Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are a technology of interest in the current scenario as they allow simultaneously promoting the biotreatment of waste and the bio generation of electrical energy. Methodology: Through a bibliographical search based on publications on Google Scholar platform over the last 10 years, it was noticed that anode area, external electrical resistance and reactor volume are the most reported input parameters in MFC research and current density and power density are the output parameters most frequently portrayed in these studies, which is why these variables were selected for statistical investigation. Results and Discussion: The results showed that, for both outputs studied, reactor volume and anode area showed a positive effect, while the external electrical resistance showed a negative effect. It was also possible to develop mathematical models that indicated the relationship between the input and output variables studied, with statistical significance for power density model (R2 = 86%). Originality: Applying computational simulations and subsequent design of experiments to obtain results in accordance with those obtained experimentally in the laboratory.
Li Wang, Jiafeng Fu, Wenlei Wang et al.
E3S Web of Conferences · 2020
This work explores the effect of the ammonia concentration on the wetland synthesis of microbial fuel cell (MFC) and on the production and the efficiency of sewage purification. Four ammonia concentrations from 1 to 30 mg/L have been selected. Under the fixed condition of a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of 200 mg/L, a constructed wetland microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) could be built. The results show that by selecting the optimum ammonia concentration the production of the CW-MFC could be promoted; a higher ammonia concentration (>20 mg/L) is found to inhibit the production activity of CW-MFC. In the optimum conditions, Cathode and anode thickness is 10 cm, the ammonia concentration is 10 mg/L, the COD concentration of 200 mg/L, the maximum power density of the battery is 13.6 W/m 3 , the corresponding current density is 148.6 A/m 3 and the battery internal resistance is 270 Ω. At the ammonia nitrogen concentration of 10 mg/L, the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen and COD were up to 89.7% and 98.47% respectively. As the ammonia nitrogen concentration increased to 30 mg/L, the ammonia nitrogen and COD removal rates decreased to 74.6% and 90.69% respectively. That is, when the ammonia nitrogen concentration is 10 mg/L, CW-MFC can exhibit the best performance.
Ganesan V. Murugesu, Saiful Nizam Khalid, Hussain Shareef et al.
Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science · 2025
This paper presents the correlation between open circuit voltage (OCV) and pH, temperature, and total dissolved solids (TDS) of an air cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) using artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Previous works used terminal voltages as output parameters to determine the correlation between MFCs' input and output parameters. However, OCV is the most important measurement that can determine the validity of the MFC. Thus, various tests were conducted to analyze the correlation between OCV and input parameters using ANN and SVM algorithms. Both techniques show a strong correlation between OCV and input parameters with the highest R2 values. The highest OCV value obtained from the experiment is 1.179 V at pH 5.26, temperature 299K, and TDS 3,124 ppm. Furthermore, an ANN model was developed to predict the OCV value based on pH, temperature, and TDS value.
Chaijak Pimprapa, Sinkan Purimprach, Wetchapan Patcharida
Jurnal Teknologi · 2022
Palm oil milled effluent (POME) is one of the most environmental concerned industrial wastewater owing to its complex structure. Melanoidin is a highly stable content in POME that caused the dark color. In this study, the Galactomyces sp. rich consortium TM11 with high laccase activity was used to remove a contaminated melanoidin from raw POME. Besides, the single chamber ceramic microbial fuel cell (sCMFC) was developed to eliminate melanoidin and simultaneously generate electrical power. The results indicated that the maximal current density and power density of 215.56±5.09 mA/m2 and 139.44±6.56 mW/m2 were reached. Whereas the melanoidin removal of 83.50±2.93% was obtained. This study was the first reported of using laccase producing yeast comsortium to remove melanoidin and generate electrical power.
Yulia Plekhanova, Sergey Tarasov, Vladimir Kolesov et al.
Preprints.org · 2018
The anode of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was formed on a graphite electrode and immobilized Gluconobacter oxydans VKM-1280 bacterial cells. Immobilization was performed in chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) or N-vinylpyrrolidone-modified poly(vinyl alcohol). Ethanol was used as substrate. The anode was modified using multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The aim of the modification was to create a conductive network between cell lipid membranes, containing exposed PQQ-dependent alcoholdehydrogenases, and the electrode to facilitate electron transfer in the system. The bioelectrochemical characteristics of modified anodes at various cell/polymer ratios were assessed via current density, power density, polarization curves and impedance spectres. MFCs based on chitosan at a matrix/cell volume ratio of 5:1 produced maximal power characteristics of the system (8.3 μW/cm2) at a minimal resistance (1111 Ohm cm2). Modification of the anode by multiwalled carbon nanotubes led to a slight decrease of internal resistance (down to 1078 Ohm cm2) and to an increase of generated power density up to 10.6 μW/cm2. We explored the possibility of accumulating electric energy from an MFC on a 6,800-μF capacitor via a boost converter. Generated voltage was increased from 0.3 V up to 3.2 V. Accumulated energy was used to power a Clark-type biosensor and a bluetooth transmitter with three sensors, a miniature electric motor and a light-emitting diode.
Yuhong Zhou, Guowang Zhou, Lu Yin et al.
ChemElectroChem · 2016
Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide a new opportunity to produce sustainable energy from the treatment of the organic matter in wastewater. However, the power density of MFCs for large‐scale application is limited by the performance of anode, with one of the major factors being low bacterial adhesion capacity. In this work, a novel macroporous sugarcane carbon (SC) is prepared by a direct carbonization process, and is used as anode material in a packed MFC. A maximum power density of 59.94±2.81 W m −3 is achieved in an MFC equipped with the SC anode, which is 2.62 times higher than that of the granular activated carbon (GAC) anode. A microbial analysis shows that the SC anode has a higher amount of biomass and the abundance of Geobacter is 6.6 times higher than that of the GAC anode, which indicates that the SC anode has higher biocompatibility. Further studies show that the macroporous structure, high surface roughness, large surface hydrophobicity and low absolute value of zeta potential favor bacterial adhesion to the SC anode surface. Therefore, this study provides an excellent anode material for high‐performance MFCs, and reveals the impact of physicochemical properties on power generation.
Ilmi Wahyuni, Heri Heriyono, Aisyah Aisyah et al.
ALCHEMY · 2022
Sugarcane molasses have been reported as potential biomass to produce electricity from its metabolic processes through the microbial fuel cell (MFC) system. However, it is important to improve electrical generation by using both appropriate and readily available substrates and microorganisms. This study aimed to determine the current and potential difference as well as the power density generated from the metabolic process of the molasses substrate. A dual-chamber of MFC was arranged in series to generate electrical current. The anode chamber contained a mixture of molasses substrate, potassium phosphate buffer pH 7, and Pseudomonas sp. The cathode chamber contained 0.2 M KMnO4 electrolyte solution. Measurement of current and potential differences was conducted every 4 hours for 36 hours. The results showed that the maximum current, potential difference, and power density were 1656 mV, 1582 µA, and 1794.37 mW/m2, respectively.Keywords: dual chamber, microbial fuel cell, molasses, Pseudomonas sp. Molase telah banyak dilaporkan sebagai salah satu sumber energi listrik yang potensial dengan menggunakan sistem microbial fuel cell (MFC). Namun demikian, produksi energi listriknya perlu ditingkatkan dengan menggunakan substrat dan mikroorganisme yang tepat dan mudah diperoleh. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui arus dan beda potensial serta nilai kerapatan daya yang dihasilkan dari proses metabolisme substrat molase menggunakan bakteri Pseudomonas sp. Penelitian ini menggunakan sistem MFC kompartemen ganda sebanyak dua sel yang dirangkai seri. Ruang anoda berisi campuran substrat molase, buffer kalium fosfat pH 7 dan bakteri Pseudomonas sp. Adapun ruang katoda berisi larutan elektrolit KMnO4 0,2 M. Pengukuran arus dan beda potensial dilakukan setiap 4 jam selama 36 jam. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan didapatkan nilai arus, beda potensial maksimum dan kerapatan daya masing-masing sebesar 1656 mV, 1582 µA dan 1794,37 mW/m2.Kata kunci: dua sel, microbial fuel cell, molase, Pseudomonas sp
Sébastien Votat, Maxime Pontié, Emmanuel Jaspard et al.
Energies · 2024
In the present study, CV dye, known as a recalcitrant dye, was tested for bioremediation via Trichoderma harzianum in a dual-chambered MFC for the first time. Two types of carbon clothes, KIP and CSV from the Dacarb company (France), were tested as electrodes and supported for fungi growth. We first observed that 52% and 55% of the CV were removed by the MFC using KIP and CSV anodes, respectively. The incomplete removal of VC was explained by the relative toxicity of VC to T. harzianum and correlated with IC50 determined as 0.97 ± 0.28 mg L−1 at 25 °C. Furthermore, the MFC working with the KIP electrode was more efficient with a higher maximum power density of 1096 mW m−3 and was only 14.1 mW m−3 for CSV. The MFC experiments conducted on KIP without the T. harzianum biofilm exhibited significantly lower potential and power density values, which proves the electrocatalytic effect of this fungus. These results provide new insight into the development of an effective MFC system capable of direct energy generation and, at the same time, promoting the bioremediation of the persistent CV pollutant.
Tomasz Bednarek
E3S Web of Conferences · 2021
The performance of the PEM fuel cell directly depends on the partial pressure of provided reactants, namely hydrogen and oxygen. Since reactants are consumed in the fuel cell reaction, partial pressure of reactants decreases in the direction of reactants flow. This well-known mechanism makes the performance of the fuel cell dependent on the stoichiometry ratios of input reactants. The JRC ZERO∇CELL, a single cell PEM fuel cell testing setup, is developed to provide as much as possible uniform operating conditions at the 10cm 2 active area specimen, hence giving uniform current density across the active area of the cell. To investigate what is the real gradient of current density across the active area for the JRC ZERO∇CELL at various reactant stoichiometry ratios, segmented bi-polar plates and current collectors are developed. This study presents experimental investigation of the current density distribution across the active area of the JRC ZERO∇CELL setup at range of reactant stoichiometry ratios from λ = 2 up to λ = 15. Current density gradients are considered along the gas flow as well as in the transverse direction. The experimental results show that the current density gradient across the active area, although dependant on the reactants stoichiometry ratios, is relatively small as compared with a wide range of investigated stoichiometry ratios.
Fatemeh Bagherighajari, Abbas Moradi Bilondi, Mohammadmahdi Abdollahzadehsangroudi et al.
Fuel Cells · 2023
Abstract Flow field design is crucial for achieving higher performance in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This study uses a two‐phase, multi‐component, and three‐dimensional model to simulate the performance of PEMFCs that use interdigitated flow field design with intermediate blocks on the cathode side. A detailed parametric study is presented to investigate the effects of various geometric and operational parameters. Of the parameters studied, inlet mass flow rate, relative humidity, and rib width had the greatest impact on cell performance. The results show that increasing the cathode stoichiometric ratio resulted in higher fuel cell performance for blocked interdigitated designs compared to parallel designs. In addition, using cathode channels with higher height values resulted in lower PEMFC performance for all flow fields. Higher values of rib/channel width ratio resulted in lower cell performance due to liquid water accumulation in the rib regions. However, at higher rib/channel width ratios, the positive effect of using interdigitated flow designs was more pronounced. Moreover, at a low relative humidity of RH = 25%, a 10.4% higher performance was obtained for the interdigitated type II compared to cases with RH = 100%, due to more effective over‐rib convection and higher water removal.
Sooyoun Yu, Qi Chen, Wilfred Chen et al.
ECS Meeting Abstracts · 2019
Even though enzymatic fuel cells (EFCs) are considered as a promising green alternative method of power generation, much of their research has been limited to the use of a single enzyme as biocatalyst, leading to incomplete oxidation as well as limited range of simple fuels. In this work, enzymatic fuel cell utilizing multienzyme cascade system immobilized on DNA scaffold as anodic biocatalyst as well as high-surface area, electrically conductive carbonaceous nanofibers (CNFs) as electrodes was built for the first time to accommodate a complex molecule such as cellulose as fuel. Three cellulases and cellulose-binding domain (CBD) were expressed in E.Coli, purified using elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) and then conjugated with DNA linker using a fusion partner called HaloTag. All four enzymes and commercial glucose oxidase (GOx) were site-specifically immobilized on customized DNA template via hybridization for efficient cellulose hydrolysis and subsequent glucose oxidation. Varied number of enzymes were combined on the DNA scaffold and resulting reaction rate was compared to the same number of enzymes freely suspended in solution. Successful immobilization of enzymes on the DNA template increased the reaction rate up to 10-fold compared to when they were in solution, confirming the synergistic effect of the multiple enzymes immobilized on a scaffold. Investigation of temperature and pH effect revealed imitating the enzymes’ typical habitat (i.e. 37 o C and pH5) further increased the reaction rate of the multienzyme system. Carbonaceous nanofibers (CNFs) were used as the electrodes for both anode and cathode, which were first produced as polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers via electrospinning method. Three sets of design of experiments (DOEs) were used to systematically vary the solution, electrospinning, and environmental conditions. Analyses of the effect of the conditions on nanofiber diameter and bead density allowed for minimization of PAN nanofiber diameter down to 38 ± 7 nm with negligible bead density. PAN nanofibers were then converted to CNFs via a two-step heat treatment, and their resulting molecular structure confirmed by FT-IR and XRD was graphitic. Electrical conductivity characterized by 4-point probe measurement supported that CNFs were suitable for electrode applications, ranging from 1.2 to 7.4 S/cm. Electrochemical characterization of CNF mat electrode functionalized with GOx exhibited direct electron transfer from GOx cofactor to the CNF mat electrode at E=-0.63 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Anodic performance of CNF mat electrode functionalized with multienzyme system was electrochemically characterized by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Finally, cellulolytic enzymatic fuel cell was assembled with the multienzymatic CNF anode and CNF cathode, which was functionalized with bilirubin oxidase for oxygen reduction. Figure 1. Schematic representation of the cellulolytic enzymatic fuel cell with multienzyme cascade on DNA scaffold immobilized on carbonaceous nanofiber mat electrode. Components not drawn to scale. Figure 1
Muhammet OZDOGAN
Journal of Thermal Engineering · 2018
In this study, the effects of the working pressure and temperature on the performance of the PEM fuel cell were investigated numerically. Non-isothermal, steady-state and single-phase model was used to examine the behaviour of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells in the three-dimensional condition. The three-dimensional single-cell model has been developed within FLUENT 6.3 software by utilizing the PEMFC module. The results of polarization (voltage) variation curves and current density distribution were given and compared with each other. According to the results obtained, by keeping humidification and cell temperatures in equilibrium, the performance of the cell improves with the increasing cell temperature. In addition, the current density of the cell increases with the increasing operating pressure.
Miguel Ángel López Zavala, Iris Cassandra Cámara Gutiérrez
Fermentation · 2023
In this study, the effects of an external resistance, new electrode material, and non-conventional catholyte on the energy generation and performance of a dual-chamber MFC were evaluated. Ten different resistances (15 Ω–220 kΩ), hydrophilically-treated graphene and graphite electrodes, and a 0.1 M HCl solution as a catholyte were assessed. The results showed that greater energy generation and power density were achieved at an external resistance of 2 kΩ and internal resistance between 2 and 5 kΩ on average; meanwhile, the greatest coulombic efficiency was obtained at the lowest external resistance evaluated (15 Ω). Therefore, it is recommended to operate the MFCs at the external resistance between 2 and 5 kΩ to ensure the maximum power generation of the dual chamber MFCs. Regarding the two electrode materials evaluated as an anode and cathode, hydrophilically-treated graphene was found to be a much better material to enhance the energy production and performance of the MFC system; therefore, its use is suggested in experimental and practical applications. On the other hand, the use of HCl as a catholyte enhanced the performance of MFC (constant and steady potential and greater coulombic efficiency) in most cases.
Doo Hyun Park, J. Gregory Zeikus
Biotechnology and Bioengineering · 2002
Abstract A new one‐compartment fuel cell was composed of a rubber bunged bottle with a center‐inserted anode and a window‐mounted cathode containing an internal, proton‐permeable porcelain layer. This fuel cell design was less expensive and more practical than the conventional two‐compartment system, which requires aeration and a ferricyanide solution in the cathode compartment. Three new electrodes containing bound electron mediators including a Mn 4+ ‐graphite anode, a neutral red (NR) covalently linked woven graphite anode, and an Fe 3+ ‐graphite cathode were developed that greatly enhanced electrical energy production (i.e., microbial electron transfer) over conventional graphite electrodes. The potentials of these electrodes measured by cyclic voltametry at pH 7.0 were (in volts): +0.493 (Fe 3+ ‐graphite); +0.15 (Mn 4+ ‐graphite); and −0.53 (NR‐woven graphite). The maximal electrical productivities obtained with sewage sludge as the biocatalyst and using a Mn 4+ ‐graphite anode and a Fe 3+ ‐graphite cathode were 14 mA current, 0.45 V potential, 1,750 mA/m 2 current density, and 788 mW/m 2 of power density. With Escherichia coli as the biocatalyst and using a Mn 4+ ‐graphite anode and a Fe 3+ ‐graphite cathode, the maximal electrical productivities obtained were 2.6 mA current, 0.28 V potential, 325 mA/m 2 current density, and 91 mW/m 2 of power density. These results show that the amount of electrical energy produced by microbial fuel cells can be increased 1,000‐fold by incorporating electron mediators into graphite electrodes. These results also imply that sewage sludge may contain unique electrophilic microbes that transfer electrons more readily than E. coli and that microbial fuel cells using the new Mn 4+ ‐graphite anode and Fe 3+ ‐graphite cathode may have commercial utility for producing low amounts of electrical power needed in remote locations. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 81: 348–355, 2003.
Eda Sonmez, Burcak Avci, Nourhan Mohamed et al.
The European Chemistry and Biotechnology Journal · 2024
The effect of platinum (Pt) loadings of air-cathodes in the 0-0.5 mg cm-2 range on single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance and cathode impedance was evaluated. In MFC tests, reducing benchmarking Pt loading of 0.5 mg cm-2 to 0.1-0 mg cm-2 decreased maximum power density by between 38% and 84%. The decrease in cathode open circuit potential with reduced loadings was small down to a catalyst loading of 0.03 mg cm-2, but was significant when the loading was further reduced to 0.01 or 0 mg cm-2. Impedance measurements of cathodes revealed that both charge-transfer and diffusion resistance increase with decreasing catalyst loadings on cathodes. Charge-transfer resistance of benchmarking cathode increased to a small extent when loadings were reduced to 0.1-0.03 mg cm-2. Below 0.03 mg cm-2, dramatic increase of charge-transfer resistance suggested that 0.03 mg cm-2 can be considered as the minimum Pt loading for which kinetic limitations are not of great concern and can be overcome to a large extent compared to lower loadings. In comparison to charge-transfer resistance, diffusion resistance differed more significantly between the loadings of 0.03 and 0.5 mg cm-2; and it was therefore the main component that changed the internal resistance of these cathodes.
Yong Juan Zhang, Min Zhang, Xin Yao et al.
Advanced Materials Research · 2010
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) was used to treat organic wastewater and heavy metal waste water treatment in this test. At the same time, organic waste water tank with the oxidation is taken as the battery anode; heavy metal waste water tank with reduction is taken as the cathode of the battery. The results showed that under the same conditions, with copper ion solution as a cathode liquid solution of MFC, the maximum voltage was 61.6mV, the maximum electric power density was 147.4 mW / cm2, and COD removal rate was relatively stable, and reached 68.67%; but when copper ion solution was taken as cathode solution, the maximum voltage was 36.9mV, the maximum electric power density was 43.7 mW / cm2, and COD removal rate changed heavily and reached 58.62%. The results shows that from the point of produce electricity and wastewater treatment, silver ions are better than copper.
Reuben Yao Tamakloe, Michael Kweku Edem Donkor, Keshaw Singh
European Scientific Journal, ESJ · 2017
The main challenges in the construction of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the identification of materials, designs, and architectures that may maximize power generation efficiency and fabrication cost. In view of these facts, an attempt was made to design and fabricate Multi – Chamber MFCs of different configuration using locally available Mfensi clay as ionexchange partitions. The performance of each micro-cell, combined effect of the total system as one cell, and the overall performance were studied. The volume of each chamber of these cells was approximately 130 cm3 . It was found that the wastewater of chemical oxygen demand (COD) that was 6340 gm/L used in the MFCs yielded a maximum open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1421 ± 30 mV. The peak power density of 33.30 mW/cm2 (0.037 mA/cm2 ) at 1000 Ω was normalized to the anode surface area
Pierangela Cristiani, Paolo Bonelli, Alessandro Liberale et al.
ECS Meeting Abstracts · 2018
Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are a promising technology to harvest energy from aquatic environments and act as sensing devices at the same time. Several prototypes of sediment MFCs have been tested in the past and more recently floating systems have been investigated as well, with encouraging results both in terms of energy harvesting and sensing. The challenge is now to scale up laboratory MFC designs for self-powering water quality sensors and implement these in real environments, where electricity sources may not be available. In this work, the performances of floating MFCs, suitably designed for aerobic and anaerobic water environments, were studied in long-term experiments. Several designs of flat and tubular cells were tested, using low-cost materials, such as plastic lunch boxes, and polystyrene or wood to keep the system afloat. Untreated carbon cloth, free of any chemical catalyst, was used for the electrodes. Flat MFCs were able to generate up to 15 mW/m 2 , depending on nutrient availability in the water. The electric performance of cathodes and anodes were differently correlated to chemical and physical water parameters (day/night cycle, chemical oxygen demand, total carbon content, nitrates and temperature among others). The Total Organic Carbon and Total Inorganic Carbon in the tank were continuously monitored with Sievers 820 Portable Total Organic Carbon Analyzer and compared to the current production of the cells. Different types of power management systems had to be suitably designed, depending of the range of power produced by the MFC prototypes. A new generation of low-energy remote system (LORA) was integrated in an electronic circuit to harvest the power generated from MFCs and to transmit signals over long distance. The experimentation was carried out in the wastewater plant site at Carimate (Figure 1), Como (Italy) and in the pool of the city garden “Orto Botanico Città Studi” at Milan (Italy). Figure 1
S. E. Oh, J. R. Kim, J.-H. Joo et al.
Water Science and Technology · 2009
Oxygen intrusion into the anode chamber through proton exchange membrane can result in positive redox conditions in fed-batch, two chamber MFCs at the end of a cycle when the substrate is depleted. A slight increase in dissolved oxygen to 0.3 mg/L during MFC operation was not found to adversely affect power generation over subsequent cycles if sufficient substrate (acetate) was provided. Purging the anode chamber with air or pure oxygen for up to 10 days and 10 hrs also did not affect power generation, as power rapidly returned to previous levels when the chamber was sparged with nitrogen gas. When MFCs are connected in series, voltage reversal can occur resulting in a positive voltage applied to the anode biofilm. To investigate if this adversely affected the bacteria, voltages of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 V, were applied for 1 hr to the MFC before reconnecting it back to a fixed external load (1,000 Ω). A voltage of <2 V did not affect power generation. However, applying 3 V resulted in a 15 h lag phase before recovery, and 9 V produced a 60 h lag phase suggesting substantial damage to the bacteria that required re-growth of bacteria in the biofilm. These results indicate that charge reversal will be a more serious problem than oxygen intrusion into the anode chamber for sustained performance of MFCs.
Wilgince Apollon, Alejandro Isabel Luna-Maldonado, Juan Antonio Vidales-Contreras et al.
Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences · 2022
Plant microbial fuel cell (Plant-MFC) is an emerging technology that uses the metabolic activity of electrochemically active bacteria (EABs) to continue the production of bioelectricity. Since its invention and to date, great efforts have been made for its application both in real-time and large-scale. However, the construction of platforms or systems for automatic voltage monitoring has been insufficiently studied. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an automatic real-time voltage data acquisition system, which was coupled with an ATMEGA2560 connected to a personal computer. Before the system operation started it was calibrated to obtain accurate data. During this experiment, the power generation performance of two types of reactors i.e. (i) Plant-MFC and (ii) control microbial fuel cell (C-MFC), was evaluated for 15 days. The Plant-MFC was planted with an herbaceous perennial plant (Stevia rebaudiana), electrode system was placed close to the plant roots at the depth of 20 cm. The results of the study have indicated that the Plant-MFC, was more effective and achieved higher bioelectricity generation than C-MFC. The maximum voltage reached with Plant-MFC was 850 mV (0.85 V), whereas C-MFC achieved a maximum voltage of 762 mV (0.772 V). Furthermore, the same reactor demonstrated a maximum power generation of 66 mW m¯2 on 10 min of polarization, while a power density with C-MFC was equal to 13.64 mW m¯2. S.rebaudiana showed a great alternative for power generation. In addition, the monitoring acquisition system was suitable for obtaining data in real-time. However, more studies are recommended to enhance this type of system.
L. Woodward, M. Perrier, B. Srinivasan et al.
AIChE Journal · 2010
Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) constitute a novel power generation technology that converts organic waste to electrical energy using microbially catalyzed electrochemical reactions. Since the power output of MFCs changes considerably with varying operating conditions, the online optimization of electrical load (i.e., external resistance) is extremely important for maintaining a stable MFC performance. The application of several real‐time optimization methods is presented, such as the perturbation and observation method, the gradient method, and the recently proposed multiunit method, for maximizing power output of MFCs by varying the external resistance. Experiments were carried out in two similar MFCs fed with acetate. Variations in substrate concentration and temperature were introduced to study the performance of each optimization method in the face of disturbances unknown to the algorithms. Experimental results were used to discuss advantages and limitations of each optimization method. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010
Muhammad Nihal Naseer, Asad A. Zaidi, Hamdullah Khan et al.
Catalysts · 2021
Microbial fuel cell, as a promising technology for simultaneous power production and waste treatment, has received a great deal of attention in recent years; however, generation of a relatively low power density is the main limitation towards its commercial application. This study contributes toward the optimization, in terms of maximization, of the power density of a microbial fuel cell by employing response surface methodology, coupled with central composite design. For this optimization study, the interactive effect of three independent parameters, namely (i) acetate concentration in the influent of anodic chamber; (ii) fuel feed flow rate in anodic chamber; and (iii) oxygen concentration in the influent of cathodic chamber, have been analyzed for a two-chamber microbial fuel cell, and the optimum conditions have been identified. The optimum value of power density was observed at an acetate concentration, a fuel feed flow rate, and an oxygen concentration value of 2.60 mol m−3, 0.0 m3, and 1.00 mol m−3, respectively. The results show the achievement of a power density of 3.425 W m−2, which is significant considering the available literature. Additionally, a statistical model has also been developed that correlates the three independent factors to the power density. For this model, R2, adjusted R2, and predicted R2 were 0.839, 0.807, and 0.703, respectively. The fact that there is only a 3.8% error in the actual and adjusted R2 demonstrates that the proposed model is statistically significant.
Mahnaz Izadi, Ali Mosallanejad, Alireza Lahooti Eshkevari
IET Power Electronics · 2022
Abstract This paper presents and comprehensively investigates a non‐isolated quadratic boost dc–dc converter (QBC), designed based on integrating a triple winding coupled inductor into the basic quadratic impedance network. The topology only contains ten components. It provides a high boost factor as well as high efficiency. Unlike most previous step‐up dc–dc converters, the employed improving method does not change the converter input current from continuous mode to pulsating or discontinuous shapes, making it suitable for connecting to the current sensitive resources. Thanks to this improvement, the voltage stress across the power switch is low, especially for higher winding coefficient values. A 20/240 V/240 W prototype has been designed and fabricated to evaluate the operating principle and performance of this QBC. Experimental results show the converter produces high gain (12 times as tested) and operate with high efficiency (up to 94%). Also, the voltage stress on the power switch is one‐third of the output voltage.
Jhonathan Prieto Rojas, Wejdan Alqarni, Muhammad Mustafa Hussain
Energy Technology · 2014
Abstract We have developed a sustainable, single feeding, microsized, air‐cathode and membrane‐free microbial fuel cells with a volume of 40 μL each, which we have used for rapid evaluation of power generation and viability of a series array of three cells seeking higher voltage levels. Contrary to expectations, the achieved power density was modest (45 mW m −3 ), limited due to non‐uniformities in assembly and the single‐channel feeding system.
Guang Yu Zhou, Yuichiro Yoshino, Takahiro Yamashita et al.
Applied Mechanics and Materials · 2012
Using wastewater as substrate, taking anaerobic sludge as inoculant, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have emerged in recent years, which can generate electricity and accomplish wastewater treatment simultaneously. Based on the evaluation indexes of output voltage, coulombic efficiency, power density and TOC removal rate, three abiotic factors, anode size, membrane and membrane size, affecting MFC performance were investigated with an orthogonal experiment (L 4 (2 3 )). The results show that the impact order of factors through analyzing the value “R” was “anode size > membrane > membrane size”. The optimal set with these three factors for the performance of MFCs was big size anode, Naf-117 and big size membrane. Meanwhile, the high TOC removal rate (more than 90%) and high acetates consumed rate (100%) show the MFCs have strong ability of wastewater treatment. Cation exchange membrane Yumi-28 has compared ability of wastewater treatment and energy-production potential in MFC work.
Chin-Tsan Wang, I-Ting Li, Jer-Huan Jang
ECS Meeting Abstracts · 2024
Hexavalent chromium is considered as a human carcinogen due to its mutagenic and teratogenic properties, which can cause severe birth defects. Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a promising power generation device for sustainable energy. The application of MFC is limited due to low power generation. In the present study, a miniature biosensor based on microbial fuel cell has been designed and assembled for detecting hexavalent chromium in wastewater. The miniature biosensor can generate power for sustaining operation. The power provided by the biosensor has been studied in the present investigation. Besides, both conductive silver glue and carbon cloth are employed as the anode for the biosensor. Electrochemical analyses for the above materials are conducted for the biosensor in detecting hexavalent chromium in the anode chamber. It is found that the maximum voltage can reach up to 518.17 mV and the power density of 1,075 mW/cm 2 can be achieved with carbon cloth as the anode electrode using an external resistance of 1000W. It is also measured that a higher limiting current density can reach up to 0.015 mA/cm 2 with conductive silver glue as the anode electrode. Furthermore, the voltage output of the biosensor decreased severely with the addition of hexavalent chromium into the wastewater. In addition, the recovery time for the biosensor is much shorter than those in previous studies. It is concluded that the biosensor possesses the potential of simultaneous detection of hexavalent chromium and electricity generation, leading to a new era of autosensing applications in the environment as well as smart powering devices.
HADI WISA NUGRAHA, GUNAWAN DJAJAKIRANA, SYAIFUL ANWAR et al.
Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity · 2020
Abstract. Nugraha HW, Djajakirana G, Anwar S, Santosa DA. 2020. Producing renewable electric energy through a microbial fuel cell in the rice field. Biodiversitas 21: 4139-4146. Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is an alternative technology that converts chemical energy into electrical energy using microbes. This study aimed to apply MFC technology in the rice field to produce renewable electricity by utilizing microbes that have been previously isolated. The study was conducted in two experiments. The first experiment was carried out to select MFC prototypes with different in the oxygen circulation system (anode and cathode holes) that capable of producing the highest Voltage. The second experiment was performed to test the selected MFC prototype for electricity production in 12 combination treatments of microbes, organic matter, and fertilization (mixed NPK fertilizer) with three replications on rice cultivation in a greenhouse. The results showed that the best MFC prototype was a prototype that has two holes, each at anode and cathode (MFC 2). The highest electrical Voltage was generated by the treatment with microbes and organic matter, without fertilizer. The treatments produced the highest electrical current was the addition of microbes, organic matter, without and with 50% fertilizer. The highest power density was generated by the treatment with microbes and organic matter, without fertilization. The addition of ex-situ isolated microbes significantly increased the production of electricity.
Mojdeh Lotfi, Habibollah Younesi, Bita Roshanravan et al.
Water and Environment Journal · 2023
Abstract This study confirmed the efficacy of modified electrode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in removing chemical oxygen demand (COD) and generating electricity using wastewater from industrial meat processing. The findings of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrated that applying CuO particles to carbon cloth (CC) significantly reduced the charge transfer resistance, resulting in improved electrochemical performance. In the batch experiment, the MFCs were conducted by applying different electrodes and Nafion‐117 as a proton exchange membrane (PEM). X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDAX) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses were performed to study the development of metal oxide on the electrode surface. The MFC operating with the CC/CuO electrode achieved a maximum COD removal (74.6%), which was attained at the peak power output of 82.56 mW/m 2 and the greatest current density of 213.33 mA/m 2 , as indicated by the polarization curve data. In light of these findings, coating CuO on the CC anode promotes electron transfer, enhances the electrode's conductivity and increases its electrochemical surface area. In summary, the findings of this study hold significant implications for sustainable electricity production and remarkable effects on environmental quality, highlighting the strategic importance of the research approach and outputs in addressing global energy and environmental challenges.
Jincheng Wei, Peng Liang, Kuichang Zuo et al.
ChemSusChem · 2012
Abstract A simple and low‐cost modification method was developed to improve the power generation performance of inexpensive semicoke electrode in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). After carbonization and activation with water vapor at 800–850 °C, the MFC with the activated coke (modified semicoke) anode produced a maximum power density of 74 W m −3 , 17 W m −3 , and 681 mW m −2 (normalized to anodic liquid volume, total reactor volume, and projected membrane surface area, respectively), which was 124 % higher than MFCs using a semicoke anode (33 W m −3 , 8 W m −3 , and 304 mW m −2 ). When they were used as biocathode materials, activated coke produced a maximum power density of 177 W m −3 , 41 W m −3 , and 1628 mW m −2 (normalized to cathodic liquid volume, total reactor volume, and projected membrane surface area, respectively), which was 211 % higher than that achieved by MFCs using a semicoke cathode (57 W m −3 , 13 W m −3 , and 524 mW m −2 ). A substantial increase was also noted in the conductivity, C/O mass ratio, and specific area for activated coke, which reduced the ohmic resistance, increased biomass density, and promoted electron transfer between bacteria and electrode surface. The activated coke anode also produced a higher Coulombic efficiency and chemical oxygen demand removal rate than the semicoke anode.