This document is an abstract for a paper presented at the 1st International Conference on Emerging Trends in Scientific Research in 2014. The paper studied a microbial fuel cell system using immobilized cells to generate electricity from wastewater. A single chamber microbial fuel cell was designed with an anode chamber and air cathode. Immobilizing electricigens in a polymeric matrix on an activated carbon support created close contact between the microbes and electrode, allowing high density electron transfer. This was expected to lower internal resistance and increase power production compared to traditional microbial fuel cells. The performance of the immobilized cell anode in the single chamber microbial fuel cell was evaluated based on open circuit voltage, closed circuit voltage, and polarization curve.

1. Abstract of Emerging Trends in Scientific Research, 2014, Vol.1
DOI: 10.18488/journal.1002/2014.1/1002.1
1st
International Conference on Emerging Trends in
Scientific Research
15-16 March, 2014
Pearl International Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Conference Website: www.pakrdw.com
9
Paper ID: 33/14/1
st
ICETSR
Preliminary Studies on Immobilized Cells-Based Microbial
Fuel Cell System on Its Power Generation Performance
Abdul Hadi Mesran1
--- Syafikah Mamat2
--- Yee Rui Pang3
--- Tan Yi Hong4
--- Muneera Z.5
--- Mohd Nazlee Faisal M. Ghazali6
--- Md Abbas Ali7
--- Nik Azmi Nik Mahmood8
Abstract
Microbial fuel cell is an emerging technology to generate electricity and simultaneously
treat wastewater. A typical MFC system consists of anode and cathode, electrolyte and
electricigens/microbes. In contrast, a new modified MFC system with only an anode
chamber and air cathode has been designed and named single chamber MFC (SCMFC).
The power generated from this new modified system is comparable to the dual chamber
system and some researches did achieve higher power values. At the same time,
efficiency of the SCMFC is entirely determined by both the design of the system and
microbes used. One of the limiting factor for an efficient electricity generation is electron
transfer between microbes and electrodes. An immobilized cell system consists of cells or
any biomolecules fixed in polymeric matrix. The same system could be applied in an MFC
system by fixing cells and electrode materials such as carbon in a polymeric matrix. This
in turn will make a closed contact of microbes to electrode that will suffice the transfer of
high density of electrons directly. Such projected advance material will lower
consequences of high internal resistance and low power production. Herewith, the
present research has developed immobilized electricgens in activated cabon support and
used this immobilized cells as anode in SCMFC. In respect of MFC performance, open
circuit voltage (OCV), closed circuit voltage (CCV) and polarization curve were evaluated.
Key words: immobilized cells; bioanode; microbial fuel cell; open circuit voltage; closed
circuit voltage (CCV); power curve.