Microbial fuel cells as discontinuous portable power sources: syntropic interactions with anode-respiring bacteria

Yaohuan Gao; Junyeong An; Hodon Ryu; Hyung-Sool Lee

doi:10.1002/cssc.201301085

Microbial fuel cells as discontinuous portable power sources: syntropic interactions with anode-respiring bacteria

ChemSusChem. 2014 Apr;7(4):1026-9. doi: 10.1002/cssc.201301085. Epub 2014 Feb 26.

Authors

Yaohuan Gao¹, Junyeong An, Hodon Ryu, Hyung-Sool Lee

Affiliation

¹ University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 (Canada).

PMID: 24574020
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201301085

Abstract

For microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to work as portable power sources used in a discontinuous manner, anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) should survive for at least several days in the absence of exogenous electron donors, and immediately generate current upon addition of an electron donor. Here, we proved that biopolymer-accumulating bacteria provide substrate (fuel) for ARB to generate current in lack of exogenous electron donor in 4 days, which allows MFCs to be used as portable power sources.

Keywords: biopolymers; electron transfer; energy conversion; microbial fuel cells; syntrophy.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bacteria / metabolism*
Bioelectric Energy Sources / microbiology*
Biopolymers / metabolism
Electrodes
Time Factors

Substances

Biopolymers