Facing Indonesia’s Future Energy with Bacterio-Algal Fuel Cells

The energy crisis has become a global issue that has plagued almost all parts of the world. MFCs (Microbial Fuel Cells) is an alternative technology because of its ability to convert waste into electrical energy. The bacterio-algal fuel cell (BAFCs) is kind of an effort for increasing the economic value and carbon capture capability of MFCs. In this case, algae used as a catholyte and organic substrate containing anode-reducing exoelectrogenic bacteria acted as anolyte. This research will examine the potential of algae in BAFCs as an alternative energy for Indonesia's future. By photosynthesis reaction, bacterio-algal fuel cells are operated in a self-sustaining cycle. It can be configured in single, dual chambers, and triple chambers. The performance of bacterio-algal fuel cells is strongly influenced by the bacterial and algae species in each compartment. Factors involved in bacterial-algal fuel cells are also analyzed and assessed: electrode materials, membrane, carbon sources, and algae pretreatment, including the operational parameter, such as pH and temperature. Bacterio-algal fuel cells are recommended to be used to convert algae into electricity by scaling-up and integrating the devices. Organic substrate could be obtained from municipal wastewater. Algae as by-product could be harvested and converted into certain products. Algal Fuel Cell is the solution to produce electricity and reduce CO2 pollution at the same time. Also, an algal fuel cell is potential for sustainable use in the future. By integrating the algal fuel cell in the factory that produces high-concentrated wastewater, the fuel cell can purify the wastewater so that it is safe to be drained to the environment and also can make an integrated electricity production for the whole factory. Some ways to improve the power production are proposed to improve the power generation from BAFCs since this technology offers clean, affordable, sustainable energy, and in-line with SDGs.

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Microbial diversity and population dynamics of activated sludge microbial communities participating in electricity generation in microbial fuel cells

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2008.577 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 58 (11) ◽

pp. 2195-2201 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

D. Ki ◽

J. Park ◽

J. Lee ◽

K. Yoo

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Activated Sludge ◽

Microbial Diversity ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Community Analysis ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Anode Chamber

In this study, we performed microbial community analysis to examine microbial diversity and community structure in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) seeded with activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in South Korea. Because anode-attached biofilm populations are particularly important in electricity transfer, the ecological characteristics of anode-attached biofilm microbes were explored and compared with those of microbes grown in suspension in an anode chamber. 16S rDNA-based community analysis showed that the degree of diversity in anode-attached biofilms was greater than that of the originally seeded activated sludge as well as that of the suspension-grown microbes in the anode bottle. In addition, Bacteroidetes and Clostridia grew preferentially during MFC electricity generation. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that the anode biofilm populations described in this work are phylogenetically distant from previously characterized MFC anode biofilm microbes. These findings suggest that a phylogenetically diverse set of microbes can be involved in the electricity generation of MFC anode compartments, and that increased microbial diversity in anode biofilms may help to stabilize electricity production in the MFC.

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Electricity Production in Microbial Fuel Cells Using Brush Bio-Anode and Bio-Cathode Made of PAN-Based Carbon Fibers

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.217-219.956 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 217-219 ◽

pp. 956-960 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

En Ren Zhang ◽

Qiang Ji ◽

Lei Liu

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Electrochemical Properties ◽

Power Density ◽

Carbon Fibers ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Continuous Flow ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Flow Mode ◽

Bacterial Cultures

Microbial fuel cells with brush bio-anode and bio-cathode made of PAN-based carbon fibers were constructed, and the electricity production was investigated. Experimental results indicate that both the anode and the cathode could be catalyzed by mixed bacterial cultures. Oxygen-reduction at the cathode could be carried out effectively with the assistance of catalytic action by bacteria, enhancing the electrochemical properties of the cathode. Stable electricity production could be obtained with maximum power 5.6 mW (corresponding power density ~2.1 W/m3 MFC volume) when operating MFC in continuous flow mode. PAN-based carbon fibers were shown to be suitable electrode materials for MFCs, especially in systems for the future applications.

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Microbial Fuel Cell for Electrical Power Generation from Waste Water

International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering - Special Issue ◽

10.35940/ijitee.f3460.049620 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 143-147

Keyword(s):

Waste Water ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Alternative Energy ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Waste Water Treatment ◽

Electrochemical Process ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Fuel Cell Performance

In the last decades, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) has increased great opportunity as an alternative energy source through electrochemical process for producing bio-energy. MFC has been involved in anode and cathode for electric energy generation from organic ingredients such as bacteria in waste water treatment. In this review, we discussed the different types of MFC (anode and cathode) materials with various integrations. In addition, it includes the gainful, biocompatible and exceedingly constant electrode materials with enhanced microbial fuel cell performance. Following this review, expansion in membrane materials such as hydrocarbon polymer, perfluorinated polymer, organic-organic hybrid polymer, ceramics, organic-inorganic hybrid composite, and biopolymer membranes are clarified in detail. In this paper, also highlighted the application of MFC technology and the methods used in the MFC in electricity production.

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Bioelectricity Production and Comparative Evaluation of Electrode Materials in Microbial Fuel Cells Using Indigenous Anode-Reducing Bacterial Community from Wastewater of Rice-Based Industries

International Journal of Renewable Energy Development ◽

10.14710/ijred.6.1.83-92 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 83-92

Author(s):

Shailesh Kumar Jadhav ◽

Reena Meshram

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Bacterial Community ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Comparative Evaluation ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Production Capacity ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Electrochemical Systems

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the electrochemical systems that harness the electricity production capacity of certain microbes from the reduction of biodegradable compounds. The present study aimed to develop mediator-less MFC without using expensive proton exchange membrane. In the present study, a triplicate of dual-chamber, mediator-less MFCs was operated with two local rice based industrial wastewater to explore the potential of this wastewater as a fuel option in these electrochemical systems. 30 combinations of 6 electrodes viz. Carbon (14 cm × 1.5 cm), Zn (14.9 cm × 4.9 cm), Cu (14.9 cm × 4.9 cm), Sn (14.1cm × 4.5cm), Fe (14cm × 4cm) and Al (14cm × 4.5 cm) were evaluated for each of the wastewater samples. Zn-C as anode-cathode combination produced a maximum voltage that was 1.084±0.016V and 1.086±0.028 and current of 1.777±0.115mA and 1.503±0.120 for KRM and SSR, respectively. In the present study, thick biofilm has been observed growing in MFC anode. Total 14 bacterial isolates growing in anode were obtained from two of the wastewater. The dual chambered, membrane-less and mediator-less MFCs were employed successfully to improve the economic feasibility of these electrochemical systems to generate bioelectricity and wastewater treatment simultaneously.Keywords: Membrane-less, Microbial Fuel Cells, Biofilm, Wastewater, Electrogenic.Article History: Received June 25th 2016; Received in revised form Dec 15th 2016; Accepted January 5th 2017; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Reena, M. and Jadhav, S. K. (2017) Bioelectricity production and Comparative Evaluation of Electrode Materials in Microbial Fuel Cells using Indigenous Anode-reducing Bacterial Community from Wastewater of Rice-based Industries. International Journal of Renewable Energy Develeopment, 6(1), 83-92.http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.1.83-92

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Conducting Polymer-Based Nanohybrids for Fuel Cell Application

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12122993 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 2993

Author(s):

Srabanti Ghosh ◽

Suparna Das ◽

Marta E. G. Mosquera

Keyword(s):

Catalytic Activity ◽

Fuel Cells ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Metal Oxides ◽

Conducting Polymer ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Graphene Nanosheets ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Polymer Surface

Carbon materials such as carbon graphitic structures, carbon nanotubes, and graphene nanosheets are extensively used as supports for electrocatalysts in fuel cells. Alternatively, conducting polymers displayed ultrahigh electrical conductivity and high chemical stability havegenerated an intense research interest as catalysts support for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as well as microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Moreover, metal or metal oxides catalysts can be immobilized on the pure polymer or the functionalized polymer surface to generate conducting polymer-based nanohybrids (CPNHs) with improved catalytic performance and stability. Metal oxides generally have large surface area and/or porous structures and showed unique synergistic effects with CPs. Therefore, a stable, environmentally friendly bio/electro-catalyst can be obtained with CPNHs along with better catalytic activity and enhanced electron-transfer rate. The mass activity of Pd/polypyrrole (PPy) CPNHs as an anode material for ethanol oxidation is 7.5 and 78 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C and bulk Pd/PPy. The Pd rich multimetallic alloys incorporated on PPy nanofibers exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity which is approximately 5.5 times higher than monometallic counter parts. Similarly, binary and ternary Pt-rich electrocatalysts demonstrated superior catalytic activity for the methanol oxidation, and the catalytic activity of Pt24Pd26Au50/PPy significantly improved up to 12.5 A per mg Pt, which is approximately15 times higher than commercial Pt/C (0.85 A per mg Pt). The recent progress on CPNH materials as anode/cathode and membranes for fuel cell has been systematically reviewed, with detailed understandings into the characteristics, modifications, and performances of the electrode materials.

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Microbial fuel cells: Devices for real wastewater treatment, rather than electricity production

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145904 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 775 ◽

pp. 145904

Author(s):

Jaecheul Yu ◽

Younghyun Park ◽

Evy Widyaningsih ◽

Sunah Kim ◽

Younggy Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Fuel Cells ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Real Wastewater

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Cellulose Derived Graphene/Polyaniline Nanocomposite Anode for Energy Generation and Bioremediation of Toxic Metals via Benthic Microbial Fuel Cells

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13010135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 135

Author(s):

Asim Ali Yaqoob ◽

Mohamad Nasir Mohamad Ibrahim ◽

Khalid Umar ◽

Showkat Ahmad Bhawani ◽

Anish Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Current Density ◽

Toxic Metals ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Organic Substrate ◽

Synthetic Wastewater ◽

Multiple Parameters ◽

Pani Composite ◽

Industrial Level ◽

Modified Graphene

Benthic microbial fuel cells (BMFCs) are considered to be one of the eco-friendly bioelectrochemical cell approaches nowadays. The utilization of waste materials in BMFCs is to generate energy and concurrently bioremediate the toxic metals from synthetic wastewater, which is an ideal approach. The use of novel electrode material and natural organic waste material as substrates can minimize the present challenges of the BMFCs. The present study is focused on cellulosic derived graphene-polyaniline (GO-PANI) composite anode fabrication in order to improve the electron transfer rate. Several electrochemical and physicochemical techniques are used to characterize the performance of anodes in BMFCs. The maximum current density during polarization behavior was found to be 87.71 mA/m2 in the presence of the GO-PANI anode with sweet potato as an organic substrate in BMFCs, while the GO-PANI offered 15.13 mA/m2 current density under the close circuit conditions in the presence of 1000 Ω external resistance. The modified graphene anode showed four times higher performance than the unmodified anode. Similarly, the remediation efficiency of GO-PANI was 65.51% for Cd (II) and 60.33% for Pb (II), which is also higher than the unmodified graphene anode. Furthermore, multiple parameters (pH, temperature, organic substrate) were optimized to validate the efficiency of the fabricated anode in different environmental atmospheres via BMFCs. In order to ensure the practice of BMFCs at industrial level, some present challenges and future perspectives are also considered briefly.

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Lack of Electricity Production by Pelobacter carbinolicus Indicates that the Capacity for Fe(III) Oxide Reduction Does Not Necessarily Confer Electron Transfer Ability to Fuel Cell Anodes

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00804-07 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 73 (16) ◽

pp. 5347-5353 ◽

Cited By ~ 93

Author(s):

Hanno Richter ◽

Martin Lanthier ◽

Kelly P. Nevin ◽

Derek R. Lovley

Keyword(s):

Electron Transfer ◽

Fuel Cells ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electron Donors ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Anode Surface ◽

Oxide Reduction ◽

Fuel Cell Anodes

ABSTRACT The ability of Pelobacter carbinolicus to oxidize electron donors with electron transfer to the anodes of microbial fuel cells was evaluated because microorganisms closely related to Pelobacter species are generally abundant on the anodes of microbial fuel cells harvesting electricity from aquatic sediments. P. carbinolicus could not produce current in a microbial fuel cell with electron donors which support Fe(III) oxide reduction by this organism. Current was produced using a coculture of P. carbinolicus and Geobacter sulfurreducens with ethanol as the fuel. Ethanol consumption was associated with the transitory accumulation of acetate and hydrogen. G. sulfurreducens alone could not metabolize ethanol, suggesting that P. carbinolicus grew in the fuel cell by converting ethanol to hydrogen and acetate, which G. sulfurreducens oxidized with electron transfer to the anode. Up to 83% of the electrons available in ethanol were recovered as electricity and in the metabolic intermediate acetate. Hydrogen consumption by G. sulfurreducens was important for ethanol metabolism by P. carbinolicus. Confocal microscopy and analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed that half of the cells growing on the anode surface were P. carbinolicus, but there was a nearly equal number of planktonic cells of P. carbinolicus. In contrast, G. sulfurreducens was primarily attached to the anode. P. carbinolicus represents the first Fe(III) oxide-reducing microorganism found to be unable to produce current in a microbial fuel cell, providing the first suggestion that the mechanisms for extracellular electron transfer to Fe(III) oxides and fuel cell anodes may be different.

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