Energy harvesting from plants using hybrid microbial fuel cells; potential applications and future exploitation

Abstract

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) can be fuelled using biomass derived from dead plant material and can operate on plant produced chemicals such as sugars, carbohydrates, polysaccharides and cellulose, as well as being “fed” on a regular diet of primary biomass from plants or algae. An even closer relationship can exist if algae (e.g., prokaryotic microalgae or eukaryotic and unicellular algae) can colonise the open to air cathode chambers of MFCs driving photosynthesis, producing a high redox gradient due to the oxygenic phase of collective algal cells. The hybrid system is symbiotic; the conditions within the cathodic chamber favour the growth of microalgae whilst the increased redox and production of oxygen by the algae, favour a more powerful cathode giving a higher maximum voltage and power to the photo-microbial fuel cell, which can ultimately be harvested for a range of end-user applications. MFCs can utilise a wide range of plant derived materials including detritus, plant composts, rhizodeposits, root exudates, dead or dying macro- or microalgae, via Soil-based Microbial Fuel Cells, Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells, Plant-based microbial fuel cells, floating artificial islands and constructed artificial wetlands. This review provides a perspective on this aspect of the technology as yet another attribute of the benevolent Bioelectrochemical Systems.

Reduction of Toxic Metal Ions and Production of Bioelectricity through Microbial Fuel Cells Using Bacillus marisflavi as a Biocatalyst

“…Excellent performance of the cathode electrode is essential because it is responsible for the reduction kinetics, which are limited by the activation energy barrier, and by not exceeding it due to failures in the electrode, oxidation will not occur efficiently [72]. The activation barrier can be improved by decreasing the activation barrier values with increasing temperature, oxidant concentration, or electrode interface area [73]. Likewise, a limitation was observed Bioremediation using MFCs has begun to be called bioelectroremediation, attracting many researchers due to its great potential to obtain a series of benefits in a single experiment [74].…”

Exploring a new clean technology in renewable energy production: The system design of Aloe vera-based plant microbial fuel cells

“…The soil used in the second type of setup supports plant growth, allows ion transport, and acts as a PEM. Thus, complexity in terms of design, material and cost is less as there is no need to use an additional PEM (Greenman et al 2024). Since it is known that graphite anode electrodes perform better in an anaerobic environment, graphite anode electrodes were placed in the rhizosphere near the plant roots in both designs.…”

“…To make microbial fuel cells more sustainable, organic material and electricity production must come together. The plant-microbial fuel cell (P-MFC), which emerged in response to this requirement, is a green energy system that produces biomass (organic material) and electrical energy together (Greenman et al 2024). P-MFC is considered within the scope of biomass energy and is a renewable energy source.…”