![]() The main focus of this paper is on p-MFCs that contain cyanobacteria and algae, which fix CO 2 by photosynthesis. cyanobacteria, algae and purple non-sulfur bacteria. A phototroph is an organism that can use light as an energy source, e.g. The electron source in the anodic compartment is the main difference between p-MFCs (containing phototrophs) and MFCs (containing heterotrophs). įor the sake of simplicity, we focus on dual-chambered devices where the anode and cathode are in individual compartments separated by a proton-permeable membrane. The energy held in the fuel is larger than the energy required to drive the metabolic processes of the microorganisms, and allows the generation of small amounts of additional electrical energy. The maximum device voltage is given by the difference between the redox potential of the redox reaction occurring at the anode (fuel oxidation) and the redox reaction at the cathode (usually the reduction of oxygen). MFCs and p-MFCs can be single- or dual-chambered in addition, they can either contain a biofilm that is growing on (or near to) the electrode surface, or they can contain planktonic cells. The best-performing p-MFCs and MFCs contain bacteria or cyanobacteria that are capable of using the electrode surface as the terminal electron acceptor in their respiratory/photosynthetic processes. These emerging technologies use microorganisms to generate electrical power. Photomicrobial fuel cells (p-MFCs also called biophotovoltaic cells or microbial solar cells) are closely related to microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Introduction: what is a photomicrobial fuel cell? We then present our own data comparing cathode materials in a p-MFC and our first results using porous ceramic anodes in a mediator-free p-MFC.ġ. In this paper, we first review the range of anode and cathode materials currently used in p-MFCs. The cathode should facilitate the rapid reaction of protons and oxygen to form water so as not to rate limit the device. For a p-MFC, there is the additional requirement that the anode should not prevent light from perfusing through the photosynthetic cells. An ideal anode is biocompatible and facilitates direct electron transfer from the microorganisms, with no need for an electron mediator. The nature of both the anode and cathode material is critical for device efficiency. In a p-MFC, the anode accepts electrons from microorganisms that are either growing directly on the anode surface (biofilm) or are free floating in solution (planktonic). Photomicrobial fuel cells (p-MFCs) are devices that use photosynthetic organisms (such as cyanobacteria or algae) to turn light energy into electrical energy.
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