Microbial fuel cell... Bacteria and it's rule as alternative energy source ... seminar in Microbiology Department faculty of Agriculture zagazig university Egypt

1. Clean
energy :
B a c t e r i a j o i n
f o r c e s

2. BY
Amr Mohammed Atef Khedr
Under Supervision
Prof Dr / Fatma El-Zamik Prof Dr/ Gamal El Din Mostafa
Prof Dr / Howaida Labeeb

6. WHAT IS A MICROBIAL FUEL CELL??
A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical system that
converts the chemical energy in the organic
compounds/renewable energy sources to electrical energy/bio-
electrical energy through microbial catalysis at the anode.
This process is becoming attractive and alternative
methodology for generation of electricity.

7. Why we need mfc (microbial fuel
cell)….???
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a completely new
method of renewable energy recovery: the direct
conversion of organic matter to electricity using bacteria.
 An approximate estimate of global wastewater
production is about 1,500 km3 per day.
It is a good way to use waste water converting into
electricity.
 The gains to be made are that MFCs are a very clean
and efficient method of energy production and they
also treat waste generated in daily life so use of MFCs
are like “Hitting two birds with one stone”.

8. 1. Anode chamber,
2. Cathode chamber,
3. membrane that seperates the anode and
cathode chamber(like potassium nitrate base
membrane or salt type membrane),
4. Electrodes(cu or al),
5. copper wire that joins electrodes,
6. waste water that contain organic materials.

9. How Does It Work????
• Organic matter is oxidized by
bacteria creating an electric
potential and generating Co2,
protons and electrons.
•Electrons are transferred to the
cathode compartment through an
external electric circuit, while
protons are transferred to the
cathode compartment through the
membrane.
• Electrons and protons are
consumed in the cathode
compartment, combining with
oxygen to form water.
Anode reaction : C12H22O11 + 13H2O ---> 12CO2 + 48H+ + 48e-
Cathode reaction : 4H+ + O2 + 4e-  2H2O

11. Types of MFC

12.  Typically run in Batch Mode in
medium like Glucose or Acetate
to generate electricity.
 Currently used in laboratories
only.
 Exists in various shapes like
cylindrical, rectangular,
miniature, Upflow with
cylindrical, U-shaped cathode.

13. Various microbes used in
MFCs

14. Electro active Bacteria

15. Other species include :
•Shewanella putrefaciens
•Aeromonas hydrophila
•Pseudomonas species
Some bacteria, which have pili on their external
membrane, are able to transfer their electron
production via these pili.

16. Microbe Substrate Anode Voltage
E coli Glucose Pt- C-cloth 625mV
Bacillus
subtilis
Glucose Vitreous
Carbon
640mV
E coli Acetate Graphite
felt
250mV
Pseudomonas
methanica
Methane Pt-black 550mV
Proteus
vulgaris
Sucrose Carbon rod 350mV

17. 1.Power generation
2. Biosensor
3. Biogas
4. As alternative of waste treatment:-
5. Bio-fuel Applications: Gases

18. Bacteria would consume waste material from the water
and produce supplementary power for the plant. The
gains to be made from doing this are that MFCs are a
very clean and efficient method of energy production.
Chemical processing wastewater and designed synthetic
wastewater have been used to produce bioelectricity in
dual- and single-chamber mediatorless MFCs (non-coate
graphite electrodes) apart from wastewater treatment.

19. Since the current generated from a microbial fuel cell
is directly proportional to the energy content of
wastewater used as the fuel, an MFC can be used to
measure the solute concentration of wastewater .
The strength of wastewater is commonly evaluated as
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values.
An MFC-type BOD sensor can be used to measure real-
time BOD values.

20. Biohydrogen:
• Protons and electrons produced at the anode
are combined at the cathode to form Hydrogen.
•The hydrogen can be accumulated and stored
for later use .

21.  Modifying the anodes of a MFC using nanofabrication
techniques can result in increase of the current density
output of the MFC.
 Characterizing the Nanomodified anodes using
microscopy can result in increase in efficiency of
MFCs.
 Growing gold, iron, and nickel Nanoparticles (NPs) and
Walled Carbon Nanotubes(MWCNTs) on anode plate
will increase the attracting power of anode towards
electrons and hence will result in increase in efficiency
of MFC.
Carbon nanotubes
Performance Enhancement of MFC
Nanoscale: 1x 10-9m = 1nm.
A hair is ≈ 10 μm (10,000 larger) Nanostructures are thought to improve e-
transfer from bacteria to Anode.