Microbial Fuel Cells
An Organic Way of Energy
A microbial fuel cell also known as a biological fuel cell is a bio-electrochemical system that produces a current by using bacteria and mimicking bacterial interactions found in nature. MFCs can be grouped into two general categories, those that use a mediator and those that are mediator-less. A mediator is a chemical that transfers electrons from the bacteria in the cell to the anode. In the Mediator-less MFC the bacteria typically have electrochemically active redox proteins such as cytochromes on their outer membrane that can transfer electrons directly to the anode. (1)
What are Microbial Fuel Cells?
Benefits include a low cost of electrical generation, water treatment, and can be used in biosensors.
The desired goal of microbial fuel cells is to use them to clean wastewater in order to help areas in droughts with clean water as well as produce clean energy instead of using elements that contribute to pollution.
Benefits
Desired Goal
A microbial fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy by the catalytic reaction of microorganisms. A typical microbial fuel cell consists of anode and cathode comparments separated by a cation specific membrane. In the anode compartment, fuel is oxidized by microorganisms, generating CO2, electrons and protons. (2)
Electrons are transferred to the cathode compartment through an external electric circuit, while protons are transferred to the cathode compartment through the membrane. Electrons and protons are consumed in the cathode compartment, combining with oxygen to form water.
Major Challenges of Microbial Fuel Cells
System architecture: power production was very low and required the addition of exogenous mediators to shuttle electrons from inside to outside the cell. In new systems, exogenous mediators are not needed, and power production from MFCs has increased dramatically in just the past few years, in part because of designs that lower the reactor’s internal resistance. (3) Extensive optimization is required to exploit the maximum microbial potential for novel wastewater treatment process and biosensor for oxygen and pollutants. (4)
What MFCs Can Be Used For
Microbial fuel cells can be used for many uses such as wastewater treatment, biosensors, and power generation.