Performance of low temperature Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) catalyzed by mixed bacterial consortia

Abstract

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are a promising technology for treating wastewater in a sustainable manner. In potential applications, low temperatures substantially reduce MFC performance. To better understand the effect of temperature and particularly how bioanodes respond to changes in temperature, we investigated the current generation of mixed-culture and pure-culture MFCs at two low temperatures, 10°C and 5°C. The results implied that the mixed-culture MFC sustainably performed better than the pure-culture (Shewanella) MFC at 10°C, but the electrogenic activity of anodic bacteria was substantially reduced at the lower temperature of 5°C. At 10°C, the maximum output voltage generated with the mixed-culture was 540-560 mV, which was 10%-15% higher than that of Shewanella MFCs. The maximum power density reached 465.3 ± 5.8 mW/m 2 for the mixed-culture at 10°C, while only 68.7 ± 3.7 mW/m 2 was achieved with the pure-culture. It was shown that the anodic biofilm of the mixed-culture MFC had a lower overpotential and resistance than the pure-culture MFC. Phylogenetic analysis disclosed the prevalence of Geobacter and Pseudomonas rather than Shewanella in the mixed-culture anodic biofilm, which mitigated the increase of resistance or overpotential at low temperatures.

Electricigens in the anode of microbial fuel cells: pure cultures versus mixed communities

“…Phylogenetic analysis showed that electricigens in these MFCs always consisted of the strains discussed above. For instance, Tkach et al identified 59 strains in the mixed bacterial consortia of an MFC while Geobacter and Pseudomonas were the dominant genera [91]. The microbial communities are dynamically changed during the MFC operation processes and their dynamics can be also analyzed using similar strategies.…”

Co‐substrate‐fed microbial fuel cell for enhanced power generation and removal of groundwater contaminants

“…and Pseudomonas sp. formed on the anode surface by mixed cultures using activated sludge in acetate‐fed MFC 15,20,21 . Furthermore, benzene, toluene, and phenol degradation by Geobacter sp.…”

Bio-electrochemical frameworks governing microbial fuel cell performance: technical bottlenecks and proposed solutions

“…Microbial biolms are sensitive to temperature to optimize their growth and electrocatalytic activity. 148,149 Depending on the temperature range in which they grow, bacteria can be divided into three groups, psychrophiles (<15 C), mesophiles (15-40 C), and thermophiles (>40 C). Most of the MFC designs have been performed in mesophilic ranges, 147,150,151 which suggest that most of the electroactive bacteria are functioning in mesophilic temperatures.…”