Stainless Steel Application as Metal Electrode in Bioelectrochemical System

Abstract

This paper reviews on the latest use and performance of several types of metals as electrodes within the development of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) including microbial fuel cells (MFC) and microbial electrolysis cells (MEC). The conventional carbon-based electrodes are typically used as an anode or cathode since the structure of the material is porous and are most suitable for the growth of electrochemically active bacteria (EAB). However, there are new developments that show the use of metal electrodes capable of producing higher current density and maximum power than carbon, due to the properties of metals such as high conductivity and mechanical strength, anti-corrosion as well as chemical structure stability. The surface modification strategy of metal promotes the EAB attachment and increases the biocompatibility or electron transfer between bacterial cell and electrode. Besides, cost-effective and easy to operate for the long-term is a contributing factor to the use of metal electrodes. To date, stainless steel becomes a common metal used in the development of BES.