Application of Bacterial Biocathodes in Microbial Fuel Cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by cyanobacteria act as an electron acceptor in the biocathode of a bio-electrochemical system

The enhanced electricity generation in a biocathode bio-electrochemical system (BES) with Microcystis aeruginosa IPP as the cathodic microorganism under illumination is investigated. The results show that this cyanobacterium is able to act as a potential cathodic microorganism under illumination. In addition, M. aeruginosa IPP is found to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in its growth in the BES. ROS, as more competitive electron acceptors than oxygen, are utilized prior to oxygen. The BES current is substantially reduced when the ROS production is inhibited by mannitol, indicating that the ROS secreted by the cyanobacterium play an important role in the electricity generation of such a biocathode BES. This work demonstrates that the ROS released by cyanobacteria benefit for an enhanced electricity generation of BES.

Microbial catalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction for microbial fuel cells: a review

The slow kinetics of the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a crucial bottleneck in the development of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). This article firstly gives an overview of the particular constraints imposed on ORR by MFC operating conditions: neutral pH, slow oxygen mass transfer, sensitivity to reactive oxygen species, fouling and biofouling. A review of the literature is then proposed to assess how microbial catalysis could afford suitable solutions. Actually, microbial catalysis of ORR occurs spontaneously on the surface of metallic materials and is an effective motor of microbial corrosion. In this framework, several mechanisms have been proposed, which are reviewed in the second part of the article. The last part describes the efforts made in the domain of MFCs to determine the microbial ecology of electroactive biofilms and define efficient protocols for the formation of microbial oxygen-reducing cathodes. Although no clear mechanism has been established yet, several promising solutions have been recently proposed.

A novel sediment microbial fuel cell with a biocathode in the rice rhizosphere

Wetland plants possess the unique ability to release oxygen as well as organic matter into the rhizosphere. It is understood that microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can use organic matter from plants as key electron donors, but the effect of root excreted oxygen on MFCs is presently unknown. In this study, a novel biocathode was buried in the rice rhizosphere and found to be capable of delivering electrons to root excreted oxygen for oxygen reduction reactions. The voltages between electrodes in the rhizosphere and bulk soil were found to increase initially, but dissipate after approximately 1 month. Results from the MFC and oxygen microelectrode experiments indicated that the oxygen efflux rate from rice roots was dependent on the root maturity. Furthermore, the excreted oxygen from wetland plant roots could be used for the construction of highly efficient biocathodes.

Efficient electricity generation from sewage sludge using biocathode microbial fuel cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with abiotic cathodes require expensive catalyst (such as Pt) or catholyte (such as hexacynoferrate) to facilitate oxidation reactions. This study incorporated biocathodes into a three-chamber MFC to yield electricity from sewage sludge at maximum power output of 13.2 ± 1.7 W/m(3) during polarization, much higher than those previously reported. After 15 d operation, the total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) removal and coulombic efficiency (CE) of cell reached 40.8 ± 9.0% and 19.4 ± 4.3%, respectively. The anolyte comprised principally acetate and propionate (minor) as metabolites. The use of biocathodes produced an internal resistance of 36-46 Ω, lower than those reported in literature works, hence yielding higher maximum power density from MFC. The massively parallel sequencing technology, 454 pyrosequencing technique, was adopted to probe microbial community on anode biofilm, with dominant phyla belonging to Proteobacteria (45% of total bacteria), Bacteroidetes (19%), Uncultured bacteria (9%), Actinobacteria (7%), Firmicutes (7%), Chloroflex (7%). At genera level, Rhodoferax, Ferruginibacter, Propionibacterium, Rhodopseudomonas, Ferribacterium, Clostridium, Chlorobaculum, Rhodobacter, Bradyrhizobium were the abundant taxa (relative abundances>2.0%).

Oxygen reduction kinetics on graphite cathodes in sediment microbial fuel cells

Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) have been used as renewable power sources for sensors in fresh and ocean waters. Organic compounds at the anode drive anodic reactions, while oxygen drives cathodic reactions. An understanding of oxygen reduction kinetics and the factors that determine graphite cathode performance is needed to predict cathodic current and potential losses, and eventually to estimate the power production of SMFCs. Our goals were to (1) experimentally quantify the dependence of oxygen reduction kinetics on temperature, electrode potential, and dissolved oxygen concentration for the graphite cathodes of SMFCs and (2) develop a mechanistic model. To accomplish this, we monitored current on polarized cathodes in river and ocean SMFCs. We found that (1) after oxygen reduction is initiated, the current density is linearly dependent on polarization potential for both SMFC types; (2) current density magnitude increases linearly with temperature in river SMFCs but remains constant with temperature in ocean SMFCs; (3) the standard heterogeneous rate constant controls the current density temperature dependence; (4) river and ocean SMFC graphite cathodes have large potential losses, estimated by the model to be 470 mV and 614 mV, respectively; and (5) the electrochemical potential available at the cathode is the primary factor controlling reduction kinetic rates. The mechanistic model based on thermodynamic and electrochemical principles successfully fit and predicted the data. The data, experimental system, and model can be used in future studies to guide SMFC design and deployment, assess SMFC current production, test cathode material performance, and predict cathode contamination.

Efficient reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline with a biocatalyzed cathode

Nitrobenzene (NB) is a toxic compound that is often found as a pollutant in the environment. The present removal strategies suffer from high cost or slow conversion rate. Here, we investigated the conversion of NB to aniline (AN), a less toxic endproduct that can easily be mineralized, using a fed-batch bioelectrochemical system with microbially catalyzed cathode. When a voltage of 0.5 V was applied in the presence of glucose, 88.2 ± 0.60% of the supplied NB (0.5 mM) was transformed to AN within 24 h, which was 10.25 and 2.90 times higher than an abiotic cathode and open circuit controlled experiment, respectively. AN was the only product detected during bioelectrochemical reduction of NB (maximum efficiency 98.70 ± 0.87%), whereas in abiotic conditions nitrosobenzene was observed as intermediate of NB reduction to AN (decreased efficiency to 73.75 ± 3.2%). When glucose was replaced by NaHCO(3), the rate of NB degradation decreased about 10%, selective transformation of NB to AN was still achieved (98.93 ± 0.77%). Upon autoclaving the cathode electrode, nitrosobenzene was formed as an intermediate, leading to a decreased AN formation efficiency of 71.6%. Cyclic voltammetry highlighted higher peak currents as well as decreased overpotentials for NB reduction at the biocathode. 16S rRNA based analysis of the biofilm on the cathode indicated that the cathode was dominated by an Enterococcus species closely related to Enterococcus aquimarinus.

Enhanced wastewater treatment efficiency through microbially catalyzed oxidation and reduction: synergistic effect of biocathode microenvironment

Microbially catalyzed treatment of wastewater was evaluated in both the anode and cathode chambers in dual chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) under varying biocathode microenvironment. MFC operation with aerobic biocathode showed significant increment in both TDS (cathode, 90.2±1%; anode, 39.7±0.5%) and substrate (cathode, 98.07±0.06%; anode, 96.2±0.3%) removal compared to anaerobic biocathode and abiotic cathode operations (COD, 80.25±0.3%; TDS, 30.5±1.2%). Microbially catalyzed reduction of protons and electrons at cathode will be higher during aerobic biocathode operation which leads to gradual substrate removal resulting in stable bio-potential for longer periods facilitating salts removal. Bio-electro catalytic behavior showed higher exchange current density during aerobic biocathode operation resulting in induced electrochemical oxidation which supports the enhanced treatment. Anaerobic biocathode operation depicted relatively less TDS removal (anode, 16.35%; cathode, 16.04%) in both the chambers in spite of good substrate degradation (anode, 84%; cathode, 87.39%). Both the chambers during anaerobic biocathode operation competed as electron donors resulting in negligible bio-potential development.

Effect of set potential on hexavalent chromium reduction and electricity generation from biocathode microbial fuel cells

Setting a biocathode potential at -300 mV improved the subsequent performance of an MFC for Cr(VI) reduction compared to a control (no set potential). With this set potential, the startup time was reduced to 19 days, the reduction of Cr(VI) was improved to 19.7 mg/L d, and the maximum power density was increased to 6.4 W/m(3) compared to the control (26 days, 14.0 mg/L d and 4.1 W/m(3)). Set potentials of -150 mV and -300 mV also improved system performance and led to similarly higher utilization of metabolic energy gained (PMEG) than set potentials of +200 mV and -450 mV. We observed putative pili at -150 and -300 mV potentials, and aggregated precipitates on bacterial surfaces in both poised and nonpoised controls. These tests show that there are optimal potentials that can be set for developing a Cr(VI) biocathode.

Enhancing simultaneous electricity production and reduction of sewage sludge in two-chamber MFC by aerobic sludge digestion and sludge pretreatments

Batch tests were conducted to enhancing simultaneous electricity production and reduction of sewage sludge in two-chamber MFC by aerobic sludge digestion in cathode chamber and sludge pretreatments (sterilization and base pretreatment) prior to sludge addition to anode chamber, respectively. During the stable stage, The voltage outputs and power densities of MFC increased from 0.28-0.31 V to 17.3-21.2 mW/m(2) to 0.41-0.43 V and 36.8-40.1 mW/m(2), respectively, when aerobic sludge digestion occurred in the cathode chamber. When the sludge added to the anode chamber was sterilized or base pretreated, the voltage outputs and power densities of MFC increased from 0.30-0.32 V and 19.9-22.6 mW/m(2) (raw sludge) to 0.34-0.36 V and 25.5-28.6 mW/m(2) (sterilized sludge), 0.41-0.43 V and 37.1-40.8 mW/m(2) (base pretreated sludge), respectively. At the end of the test, the total suspended solids (TSS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) reduction of sludge in the anode chambers increased from 33.9% and 36.8% to 34.5% and 38.7% with aerobic sludge digestion in the cathode chamber, respectively; while, those (TSS and VSS reduction) with sludge pretreatments prior to the sludge addition to the anode chambers increased from 25.1% and 22.8% (raw sludge) to 32.8% and 34.6% (sterilized sludge), and 25.5% and 26.7% (base pretreated sludge), respectively. The experimental results illuminated both aerobic sludge digestion in the cathode chamber and sludge pretreatments (sterilization and base pretreatment) prior to sludge addition to the anode chamber could enhance simultaneous electricity production from sludge and sludge reduction.

Increasing power generation for scaling up single-chamber air cathode microbial fuel cells

Scaling up microbial fuel cells (MFCs) requires a better understanding the importance of the different factors such as electrode surface area and reactor geometry relative to solution conditions such as conductivity and substrate concentration. It is shown here that the substrate concentration has significant effect on anode but not cathode performance, while the solution conductivity has a significant effect on the cathode but not the anode. The cathode surface area is always important for increasing power. Doubling the cathode size can increase power by 62% with domestic wastewater, but doubling the anode size increases power by 12%. Volumetric power density was shown to be a linear function of cathode specific surface area (ratio of cathode surface area to reactor volume), but the impact of cathode size on power generation depended on the substrate strength (COD) and conductivity. These results demonstrate the cathode specific surface area is the most critical factor for scaling-up MFCs to obtain high power densities.

Autotrophic nitrite removal in the cathode of microbial fuel cells

Nitrification to nitrite (nitritation process) followed by reduction to dinitrogen gas decreases the energy demand and the carbon requirements of the overall process of nitrogen removal. This work studies autotrophic nitrite removal in the cathode of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Special attention was paid to determining whether nitrite is used as the electron acceptor by exoelectrogenic bacteria (biologic reaction) or by graphite electrodes (abiotic reaction). The results demonstrated that, after a nitrate pulse at the cathode, nitrite was initially accumulated; subsequently, nitrite was removed. Nitrite and nitrate can be used interchangeably as an electron acceptor by exoelectrogenic bacteria for nitrogen reduction from wastewater while producing bioelectricity. However, if oxygen is present in the cathode chamber, nitrite is oxidised via biological or electrochemical processes. The identification of a dominant bacterial member similar to Oligotropha carboxidovorans confirms that autotrophic denitrification is the main metabolism mechanism in the cathode of an MFC.

Bioreactor technology in marine microbiology: from design to future application

Marine micro-organisms have been playing highly diverse roles over evolutionary time: they have defined the chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere. During the last decades, the bioreactors with novel designs have become an important tool to study marine microbiology and ecology in terms of: marine microorganism cultivation and deep-sea bioprocess characterization; unique bio-chemical product formation and intensification; marine waste treatment and clean energy generation. In this review we briefly summarize the current status of the bioreactor technology applied in marine microbiology and the critical parameters to take into account during the reactor design. Furthermore, when we look at the growing population, as well as, the pollution in the coastal areas of the world, it is urgent to find sustainable practices that beneficially stimulate both the economy and the natural environment. Here we outlook a few possibilities where innovative bioreactor technology can be applied to enhance energy generation and food production without harming the local marine ecosystem.

Further treatment of decolorization liquid of azo dye coupled with increased power production using microbial fuel cell equipped with an aerobic biocathode

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) incorporating a recently developed aerobic biocathode is designed and demonstrated. The aerobic biocathode MFC is able to further treat the liquid containing decolorization products of active brilliant red X-3B (ABRX3), a respective azo dye, and also provides increased power production. Batch test results showed that 24.8% of COD was removed from the decolorization liquid of ABRX3 (DL) by the biocathode within 12 h. Metabolism-dependent biodegradation of aniline-like compound might be mainly responsible for the decrease of overall COD. Glucose is not necessary in this process and contributes little to the COD removal of the DL. The similar COD removal rate observed under closed circuit condition (500 Ω) and opened circuit condition indicated that the current had an insignificant effect on the degradation of the DL. Addition of the DL to the biocathode resulted in an almost 150% increase in open cycle potential (OCP) of the cathode accompanied by a 73% increase in stable voltage output from 0.33 V to 0.57 V and a 300% increase in maximum power density from 50.74 mW/m(2) to 213.93 mW/m(2). Cyclic voltammetry indicated that the decolorization products of the ABRX3 contained in the DL play a role as redox mediator for facilitating electron transfer from the cathode to the oxygen. This study demonstrated for the first time that MFC equipped with an aerobic biocathode can be successfully applied to further treatment of effluent from an anaerobic system used to decolorize azo dye, providing both cost savings and high power output.

Cathodes as electron donors for microbial metabolism: which extracellular electron transfer mechanisms are involved?

This review illuminates extracellular electron transfer mechanisms that may be involved in microbial bioelectrochemical systems with biocathodes. Microbially-catalyzed cathodes are evolving for new bioprocessing applications for waste(water) treatment, carbon dioxide fixation, chemical product formation, or bioremediation. Extracellular electron transfer processes in biological anodes, were the electrode serves as electron acceptor, have been widely studied. However, for biological cathodes the question remains: what are the biochemical mechanisms for the extracellular electron transfer from a cathode (electron donor) to a microorganism? This question was approached by not only analysing the literature on biocathodes, but also by investigating known extracellular microbial oxidation reactions in environmental processes. Here, it is predicted that in direct electron transfer reactions, c-type cytochromes often together with hydrogenases play a critical role and that, in mediated electron transfer reactions, natural redox mediators, such as PQQ, will be involved in the bioelectrochemical reaction. These mechanisms are very similar to processes at the bioanode, but the components operate at different redox potentials. The biocatalyzed cathode reactions, thereby, are not necessarily energy conserving for the microorganism.

Simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal using an oxic/anoxic-biocathode microbial fuel cells coupled system

A coupled microbial fuel cell (MFC) system comprising of an oxic-biocathode MFC (O-MFC) and an anoxic-biocathode MFC (A-MFC) was implemented for simultaneous removal of carbon and nitrogen from a synthetic wastewater. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the influent was mainly reduced at the anodes of the two MFCs; ammonium was oxidized to nitrate in the O-MFC's cathode, and nitrate was electrochemically denitrified in the A-MFC's cathode. The coupled MFC system reached power densities of 14 W/m(3) net cathodic compartment (NCC) and 7.2 W/m(3) NCC for the O-MFC and the A-MFC, respectively. In addition, the MFC system obtained a maximum COD, NH(4)(+)-N and TN removal rate of 98.8%, 97.4% and 97.3%, respectively, at an A-MFC external resistance of 5 Ω, a recirculation ratio (recirculated flow to total influent flow) of 2:1, and an influent flow ratio (O-MFC anode flow to A-MFC anode flow) of 1:1.

Electron transfer mechanisms, new applications, and performance of biocathode microbial fuel cells

Broad application of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) requires low cost and high operational sustainability. Microbial-cathode MFCs, or cathodes using only bacterial catalysts (biocathodes), can satisfy these demands and have gained considerable attention in recent years. Achievements with biocathodes over the past 3-4 years have been particularly impressive not only with respect to the biological aspects but also the system-wide considerations related to electrode materials and solution chemistry. The versatility of biocathodes enables us to use not only oxygen but also contaminants as possible electron acceptors, allowing nutrient removal and bioremediation in conjunction with electricity generation. Moreover, biocathodes create opportunities to convert electrical current into microbially generated reduced products. While many new experimental results with biocathodes have been reported, we are still in the infancy of their engineering development. This review highlights the opportunities, limits, and challenges of biocathodes.

Catalysis of the electrochemical reduction of oxygen by bacteria isolated from electro-active biofilms formed in seawater

Biofilms formed in aerobic seawater on stainless steel are known to be efficient catalysts of the electrochemical reduction of oxygen. Based on their genomic analysis, seven bacterial isolates were selected and a cyclic voltammetry (CV) procedure was implemented to check their electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction. All isolates exhibited close catalytic characteristics. Comparison between CVs recorded with glassy carbon and pyrolytic graphite electrodes showed that the catalytic effect was not correlated with the surface area covered by the cells. The low catalytic effect obtained with filtered isolates indicated the involvement of released redox compounds, which was confirmed by CVs performed with adsorbed iron-porphyrin. None of the isolates were able to form electro-active biofilms under constant polarization. The capacity to catalyze oxygen reduction is shown to be a widespread property among bacteria, but the property detected by CV does not necessarily confer the ability to achieve stable oxygen reduction under constant polarization.

Microbial solar cells: applying photosynthetic and electrochemically active organisms

Microbial solar cells (MSCs) are recently developed technologies that utilize solar energy to produce electricity or chemicals. MSCs use photoautotrophic microorganisms or higher plants to harvest solar energy, and use electrochemically active microorganisms in the bioelectrochemical system to generate electrical current. Here, we review the principles and performance of various MSCs in an effort to identify the most promising systems, as well as the bottlenecks and potential solutions, for "real-life" MSC applications. We present an outlook on future applications based on the intrinsic advantages of MSCs, specifically highlighting how these living energy systems can facilitate the development of an electricity-producing green roof.

Cathode potential and mass transfer determine performance of oxygen reducing biocathodes in microbial fuel cells

The main limiting factor in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) power output is the cathode, because of the high overpotential for oxygen reduction. Oxygen reducing biocathodes can decrease this overpotential by the use of microorganisms as a catalyst. In this study, we investigated the factors limiting biocathode performance. Three biocathodes were started up at different cathode potentials, and their performance and catalytic behavior was tested by means of polarization curves and cyclic voltammetry. The biocathodes controlled at +0.05 V and +0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl produced current almost immediately after inoculation, while the biocathode controlled at +0.25 V vs Ag/AgCl produced no current until day 15. The biocathode controlled at +0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl reached the highest current density of 313 mA/m(2). Cyclic voltammetry showed clear catalysis for all three biocathodes. The biocathodes were limited by both mass transfer of oxygen and by charge transfer. Mass transfer calculations show that the transfer of oxygen poses a serious limitation for the use of dissolved oxygen as an electron acceptor in MFCs.

Evaluation of biocathodes in freshwater and brackish sediment microbial fuel cells

Biofilms on biocathodes can catalyze the cathodic oxygen reduction and accordingly guarantee high cathode redox potentials. The present research assessed the use of biocathodes in full-sediment microbial fuel cells. Carbon felt-based biocathodes were evaluated in freshwater systems, and an extension of their application to brackish systems and/or stainless steel webs as base material was considered. Efficient biocathodes could be developed within days through inoculation with active microorganisms. Carbon felt was found most suited for the biocathodes in freshwater with increased performance at salinities around 80-250 mM. Maximum long-term performance reached 12.3 microW cm(-2) cathode. The relative benefit of stainless steel seemed to increase with increasing salinity. A combination of stainless steel cathodes with biofilms could, however, also result in decreased electrical performance. In an efficiently catalyzing cathodic biofilm, an enrichment with an uncultured Proteobacterium--previously correlated with steel waste--was observed.

Investigating microbial fuel cell bioanode performance under different cathode conditions

A compact, three-in-one, flow-through, porous, electrode design with minimal electrode spacing and minimal dead volume was implemented to develop a microbial fuel cell (MFC) with improved anode performance. A biofilm-dominated anode consortium enriched under a multimode, continuous-flow regime was used. The increase in the power density of the MFC was investigated by changing the cathode (type, as well as catholyte strength) to determine whether anode was limiting. The power density obtained with an air-breathing cathode was 56 W/m(3) of net anode volume (590 mW/m(2)) and 203 W/m(3) (2160 mW/m(2)) with a 50-mM ferricyanide-based cathode. Increasing the ferricyanide concentration and ionic strength further increased the power density, reaching 304 W/m(3) (3220 mW/m(2), with 200 mM ferricyanide and 200 mM buffer concentration). The increasing trend in the power density indicated that the anode was not limiting and that higher power densities could be obtained using cathodes capable of higher rates of oxidation. The internal solution resistance for the MFC was 5-6 Omega, which supported the improved performance of the anode design. A new parameter defined as the ratio of projected surface area to total anode volume is suggested as a design parameter to relate volumetric and area-based power densities and to enable comparison of various MFC configurations.

Microbial fuel cells and microbial ecology: applications in ruminant health and production research

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) systems employ the catalytic activity of microbes to produce electricity from the oxidation of organic, and in some cases inorganic, substrates. MFC systems have been primarily explored for their use in bioremediation and bioenergy applications; however, these systems also offer a unique strategy for the cultivation of synergistic microbial communities. It has been hypothesized that the mechanism(s) of microbial electron transfer that enable electricity production in MFCs may be a cooperative strategy within mixed microbial consortia that is associated with, or is an alternative to, interspecies hydrogen (H(2)) transfer. Microbial fermentation processes and methanogenesis in ruminant animals are highly dependent on the consumption and production of H(2)in the rumen. Given the crucial role that H(2) plays in ruminant digestion, it is desirable to understand the microbial relationships that control H(2) partial pressures within the rumen; MFCs may serve as unique tools for studying this complex ecological system. Further, MFC systems offer a novel approach to studying biofilms that form under different redox conditions and may be applied to achieve a greater understanding of how microbial biofilms impact animal health. Here, we present a brief summary of the efforts made towards understanding rumen microbial ecology, microbial biofilms related to animal health, and how MFCs may be further applied in ruminant research.

Anodophilic biofilm catalyzes cathodic oxygen reduction

Poor cathodic oxygen reduction and the detrimental buildup of a pH gradient between anode and cathode are the major hurdles in the development of sustainable microbial fuel cells (MFCs). This article describes and tests a concept that can help overcoming both of these limitations, by inverting the polarity of the MFC repeatedly, allowing anodic and cathodic reactions to occur alternately in the same half-cell and hence neutralizing its respective pH effects. For simplicity, we studied polarity inversion exclusively in one half-cell, maintaining its potential at -300 mV (vs Ag/AgCl) by a potentiostat. An alternating supply of acetate and dissolved oxygen to the biofilm resulted in the tested half-cell repeatedly changing from an anode to a cathode and vice versa. This repeated inversion of current direction avoided the detrimental drifting of the electrolyte pH. Control runs without current inversion ceased to produce current, as a result of anode acidification. The presence of the anodophilic biofilm survived the intermittent oxygen exposure and could measurably facilitate the cathodic reaction by reducing the apparent oxygen overpotential. It enabled cathodic oxygen reduction at about -150 mV (vs Ag/AgCl) compared to -300 mV (vs Ag/AgCl) for the same electrode material (granular graphite) without biofilm. Provided that a suitable cathodic potential was chosen, the presence of "anodophilic bacteria" at the cathode could enable a 5-fold increase in power output. Overall, the ability of an electrochemically active biofilm to catalyze both substrate oxidation and cathodic oxygen reduction in a single bioelectrochemical system has been documented. This property could be useful to alleviate both the cathodic oxygen reduction and the detrimental drifting of electrolyte pH in an MFC system. Further research is warranted to explore the application of such bidirectional microbial catalytic properties for sustainable MFC processes.

Solar energy powered microbial fuel cell with a reversible bioelectrode

The solar energy powered microbial fuel cell is an emerging technology for electricity generation via electrochemically active microorganisms fueled by solar energy via in situ photosynthesized metabolites from algae, cyanobacteria, or living higher plants. A general problem with microbial fuel cells is the pH membrane gradient which reduces cell voltage and power output. This problem is caused by acid production at the anode, alkaline production at the cathode, and the nonspecific proton exchange through the membrane. Here we report a solution for a new kind of solar energy powered microbial fuel cell via development of a reversible bioelectrode responsible for both biocatalyzed anodic and cathodic electron transfer. Anodic produced protons were used for the cathodic reduction reaction which held the formation of a pH membrane gradient. The microbial fuel cell continuously generated electricity and repeatedly reversed polarity dependent on aeration or solar energy exposure. Identified organisms within biocatalyzing biofilm of the reversible bioelectrode were algae, (cyano)bacteria and protozoa. These results encourage application of solar energy powered microbial fuel cells.

A solar-powered microbial electrolysis cell with a platinum catalyst-free cathode to produce hydrogen

This paper reports successful hydrogen evolution using a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)-powered microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) without a Pt catalyst on the cathode, indicating a solution for the inherent drawbacks of conventional MECs, such as the need for an external bias and catalyst. DSSCs fabricated by assembling a ruthenium dye-loaded TiO(2) film and platinized FTO glass with an I(-)/I(3)(-) redox couple were demonstrated as an alternative bias (V(oc) = 0.65 V). Pt-loaded (0.3 mg Pt/cm(2)) electrodes with a Pt/C nanopowder showed relatively faster hydrogen production than the Pt-free electrodes, particularly at lower voltages. However, once the applied photovoltage exceeded a certain level (0.7 V), platinum did not have any additional effect on hydrogen evolution in the solar-powered MECs: hydrogen conversion efficiency was almost comparable for either the plain (71.3-77.0%) or Pt-loaded carbon felt (79.3-82.0%) at >0.7 V. In particular, the carbon nanopowder-coated electrode without Pt showed significantly enhanced performance compared to the plain electrode, which indicates efficient electrohydrogenesis, even without Pt by enhancing the surface area. As the applied photovoltage was increased, anodic methanogenesis decreased gradually, resulting in increasing hydrogen yield.