Abstract
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that use living microbes for the conversion of organic matter into electricity. MFC systems can be applied to the generation of electricity at water/sediment interfaces in the environment, such as bay areas, wetlands, and rice paddy fields. Using these systems, electricity generation in paddy fields as high as ∼80 mW m−2 (based on the projected anode area) has been demonstrated, and evidence suggests that rhizosphere microbes preferentially utilize organic exudates from rice roots for generating electricity. Phylogenetic and metagenomic analyses have been conducted to identify the microbial species and catabolic pathways that are involved in the conversion of root exudates into electricity, suggesting the importance of syntrophic interactions. In parallel, pot cultures of rice and other aquatic plants have been used for rhizosphere MFC experiments under controlled laboratory conditions. The findings from these studies have demonstrated the potential of electricity generation for mitigating methane emission from the rhizosphere. Notably, however, the presence of large amounts of organics in the rhizosphere drastically reduces the effect of electricity generation on methane production. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the potential of these systems for mitigating methane emission from rice paddy fields. We suggest that paddy-field MFCs represent a promising approach for harvesting latent energy of the natural world.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arends JB, Speeckaert J, Blondeel E, De Vrieze J, Boeckx P, Verstraete W, Rabaey K, Boon N (2014) Greenhouse gas emissions from rice microcosms amended with a plant microbial fuel cell. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98:3205–3217
Bais HP, Weir TL, Perry LG, Gilroy S, Vivanco JM (2006) The role of root exudates in rhizosphere interactions with plants and other organisms. Annu Rev Plant Biol 57:233–266
Baudoin E, Benizri E, Guckert A (2003) Impact of artificial root exudates on the bacterial community structure in bulk soil and maize rhizosphere. Soil Biol Biochem 35:1183–1192
Berg G (2009) Plant-microbe interactions promoting plant growth and health: perspectives for controlled use of microorganisms in agriculture. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 84:11–18
Berg G, Smalla K (2009) Plant species and soil type cooperatively shape the structure and function of microbial communities in the rhizosphere. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 68:1–13
Bond DR, Lovley DR (2003) Electricity production by Geobacter sulfurreducens attached to electrodes. Appl Environ Microbiol 69:1548–1555
Chiranjeevi P, Mohanakrishna G, Venkata Mohan S (2012) Rhizosphere mediated electrogenesis with the function of anode placement for harnessing bioenergy through CO2 sequestration. Biores Technol 124:364–370
Cicerone RJ, Oremland RS (1988) Biogeochemical aspects of atmospheric methane. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 2:299–327
Conrad R (2007) Microbial ecology of methanogens and methanotrophs. Adv Agron 96:1–63
Da Rosa AC (2011) Diversity and function of the microbial community on anodes of sediment microbial fuel cells fueled by root exudates. PhD thesis, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
De Schamphelaire L, Van den Bossche L, Dang HS, Höfte M, Boon N, Rabaey K, Verstraete W (2008) Microbial fuel cells generating electricity from rhizodeposits of rice plants. Environ Sci Technol 42:3053–3058
De Schamphelaire L, Cabezas A, Marzorati M, Friedrich MW, Boon N, Verstraete W (2010) Microbial community analysis of anodes from sediment microbial fuel cells powered by rhizodeposits of living rice plants. Appl Environ Microbiol 76:2002–2008
Eswaran H, Van Den Berg E, Reich P (1993) Organic carbon in soils of the world. Soil Sci Soc Am J 57:192–194
Food and Agriculture Organization (2004) International year of rice 2004—rice and human nutrition fact sheet. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome
Helder M, Strik DPBTB, Hamelers HVM, Kuhn AJ, Blok C, Buisman CJN (2010) Concurrent bio-electricity and biomass production in three plant-microbial fuel cells using Spartina anglica, Arundinella anomala and Arundo donax. Biores Technol 101:3541–3547
Ishii S, Hotta Y, Watanabe K (2008) Methanogenesis versus electrogenesis: morphological and phylogenetic comparisons of microbial communities. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 72:286–294
Jung S, Regan JM (2011) Influence of external resistance on electrogenesis, methanogenesis, and anode prokaryotic communities in microbial fuel cells. Appl Environ Microbiol 77:564–571
Kaku N, Yonezawa N, Kodama Y, Watanabe K (2008) Plant/microbe cooperation for electricity generation in a rice paddy field. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 79:43–49
Kouzuma A, Kasai T, Nakagawa G, Yamamuro A, Abe T, Watanabe K (2013) Comparative metagenomics of anode-associated microbiomes developed in rice paddy-field microbial fuel cells. PLoS One 8:e77443
Logan BE, Hamelers B, Rozendal R, Schröder U, Keller J, Freguia S, Aelterman P, Verstraete W, Rabaey K (2006) Microbial fuel cells: methodology and technology. Environ Sci Technol 40:5181–5192
Neue HU (1993) Methane emission from rice fields. Bioscience 43:466–474
Pant D, Van Bogaert G, Diels L, Vanbroekhoven K (2010) A review of substrates used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for sustainable energy production. Biores Technol 101:1533–1543
Reimers CE, Girguis P, Stecher HA III, Tender M, Ryckelynck N, Whaling P (2006) Microbial fuel cell energy from an ocean cold seep. Geobiology 4:123–136
Rizzo A, Boano F, Revelli R, Ridolfi L (2013) Can microbial fuel cells be an effective mitigation strategy for methane emissions from paddy fields? Ecol Eng 60:167–171
Smalla K, Wieland G, Buchner A, Zock A, Parzy J, Kaiser S, Roskot N, Heuer H, Berg G (2001) Bulk and rhizosphere soil bacterial communities studied by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis: plant-dependent enrichment and seasonal shifts revealed. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:4742–4751
Strik DPBTB, Hamelers HVM, Snel JFH, Buisman CJN (2008) Green electricity production with living plants and bacteria in a fuel cell. Int J Ener Res 32:870–876
Takanezawa K, Nishio K, Kato S, Hashimoto K, Watanabe K (2010) Factors affecting electric output from rice-paddy microbial fuel cells. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 74:1271–1273
Tender LM, Reimers CE, Stecher HA III, Holmes DE, Bond DR, Lowy DA, Pilobello K, Fertig SJ, Lovley DR (2002) Harnessing microbially generated power on the seafloor. Nat Biotechnol 20:821–825
Timmers RA, Rothballer M, Strik DPBTB, Engel M, Schulz S, Schloter M, Hartmann A, Hamelers B, Buisman C (2012) Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 94:537–548
Watanabe K (2008) Recent developments in microbial fuel cell technologies for sustainable bioenergy. J Biosci Bioeng 106:528–536
Watanabe K, Nishio K (2010) Electric power from rice paddy field. In: Nathwani J, Ng A (eds) Paths to sustainable energy, In-tech, pp 563–580
Zhao Y, Watanabe K, Hashimoto K (2011) Hierarchical micro/nano structures of carbon composites as anodes for microbial fuel cells. Phys Chem Chem Phys 13:15016–15021
Acknowledgments
We thank Ayako Matsuzawa for technical assistance and members of Noda Natural Symbiotic Farm Co. for management of the rice paddy.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kouzuma, A., Kaku, N. & Watanabe, K. Microbial electricity generation in rice paddy fields: recent advances and perspectives in rhizosphere microbial fuel cells. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 9521–9526 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6138-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6138-0