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Enhancing the performance of an acetate-fed microbial fuel cell with methylene green

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Abstract

Microbial fuel cells are an eco-friendly technology that decontaminate wastewater and generate electricity by the action of exoelectrogenic microbes. However, mechanisms such as bioanode formation and stabilization and the electron transfer mechanism still have to be elucidated and enhanced before this technology can be scaled up for practical applications. Electrochemical characterization showed that a more electroactive biofilm (power density of 77 ± 8 mW m−2) emerged under a charged surface provided by a continuously applied electric current. Among the different molecules evaluated as electron transfer mediator, methylene green was the only molecule that improved cell performance. Methylene green addition increased the cell voltage by 20% and maintained the cell stable for six more days as compared to the control. Bioanode microbial community analysis revealed a high abundance of Arcobacter and Dechloromonas, which may play roles in electricity generation and methylene green discoloration. Microbial fuel cell voltage and stability were increased upon addition of methylene green, which was degraded in the bioanode over time. Identification of microbial members helps to understand MFC performance and to elucidate how methylene green improves MFC stability.

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Funding

This study was partially funded by FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo)—Research Grant 2018/12471-1 and 2014/50945-4 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq (305085/2014-0, 465571/2014-0 and 303817/2019-4).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil

    Rafaella Marcílio, Sidney Aquino Neto, Bruno Martins Ruvieri, Adalgisa Rodrigues de Andrade & Valeria Reginatto

  2. Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

    Fernando Dini Andreote

  3. Institute of Chemistry, UNESP, National Institute for Alternative Technologies of Detection, Toxicological Evaluation and Removal of Micropollutants and Radioactives (INCT-DATREM), PO Box 355, Araraquara, SP, 14800-900, Brazil

    Adalgisa Rodrigues de Andrade

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  1. Rafaella Marcílio
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  2. Sidney Aquino Neto
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  3. Bruno Martins Ruvieri
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  4. Fernando Dini Andreote
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  5. Adalgisa Rodrigues de Andrade
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  6. Valeria Reginatto
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Contributions

RM and BMR have carried out MFC operation and chemical analysis. VR, and SAN conceived of the project and wrote the final manuscript. ARA helped by electrochemical analysis and discussion. FDA conducted the MiSeq library preparations and provided bioinformatics support. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Valeria Reginatto.

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Marcílio, R., Neto, S.A., Ruvieri, B.M. et al. Enhancing the performance of an acetate-fed microbial fuel cell with methylene green. Braz. J. Chem. Eng. 38, 471–484 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43153-021-00130-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43153-021-00130-5

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