Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell with a microbially catalyzed cathode

  • Original Research Paper
  • Published:
Biotechnology Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A microbial fuel cell using aerobic microorganisms as the cathodic catalysts is described. By using anaerobic sludge in the anode and aerobic sludge in the cathode as inocula, the microbial fuel cell could be started up after a short lag time of 9 days, generating a stable voltage of 0.324 V (R ex = 500 Ω). At an aeration rate of 300 ml min−1 in the cathode, a maximum volumetric power density of up to 24.7 W m−3 (117.2 A m−3) was reached. This research demonstrates an economic system for recovering electrical energy from organic compounds.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen RM, Bennetto HP (1993) Microbial fuel-cells—electricity production from carbohydrates. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 39:27–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond DR, Holmes DE, Tender LM et al (2002) Electrode-reducing microorganisms that harvest energy from marine sediments. Science 295:483–485

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhuri SK, Lovley DR (2003) Electricity generation by direct oxidation of glucose in mediatorless microbial fuel cells. Nat Biotechnol 21:1229–1232

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng SA, Liu H, Logan BE (2006) Power densities using different cathode catalysts (Pt and CoTMPP) and polymer binders (Nafion and PTFE) in single chamber microbial fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 40:364–369

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clauwaert P, vander Ha D, Boon N et al (2007) Open air biocathode enables effective electricity generation with microbial fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 41:7564–7569

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Logan BE (2004) Electricity generation using an air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell in the presence and absence of a proton exchange membrane. Environ Sci Technol 38:4040–4046

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Ramnarayanan R, Logan BE (2004) Production of electricity during wastewater treatment using a single chamber microbial fuel cell. Environ Sci Technol 38:2281–2285

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Logan BE, Cheng SA, Watson V et al (2007) Graphite fiber brush anodes for increased power production in air-cathode microbial fuel cells. Environ Sci Technol 41:3341–3346

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lovley DR, Phillips EJP (1988) Novel mode of microbial energy metabolism: organic carbon coupled to dissimilatory reduction of iron or manganese. Appl Environ Microbiol 54:1472–1480

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Min B, Cheng S, Logan BE (2005) Electricity generation using membrane and salt bridge microbial fuel cells. Water Res 39:1675–1686

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rabaey K, Clauwaert P, Aelterman P et al (2005) Tubular microbial fuel cells for efficient electricity generation. Environ Sci Technol 39:8077–8082

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schröder U, Niessen J, Scholz F (2003) A generation of microbial fuel cells with current outputs boosted by more than one order of magnitude. Angew Chem Int Ed 42:2880–2883

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • You S, Zhao Q, Zhang J et al (2006) A microbial fuel cell using permanganate as a cathodic electron acceptor. J Power Sources 162:1409–1415

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • You S, Zhao Q, Zhang J et al (2007) A graphite-granule membrane-less tubular air-cathode microbial fuel cell for power generation under continuously operational conditions. J Power Sources 173:172–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao F, Harnisch F, Schroder U et al (2005) Application of pyrolyzed iron (II) phthalocyanine and CoTMPP based oxygen reduction catalysts as cathode materials in microbial fuel cells. Electrochem Commun 7:1405–1410

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Project 50776024 supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qing-Liang Zhao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, JN., Zhao, QL., Aelterman, P. et al. Electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell with a microbially catalyzed cathode. Biotechnol Lett 30, 1771–1776 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-008-9751-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-008-9751-0

Keywords

Navigation