Towards implementation of a benthic microbial fuel cell in lake Furnas (Azores): Phylogenetic affiliation and electrochemical activity of sediment bacteria

Abstract

This work was conducted to examine the composition and electrochemical activity of the bacterial community inhabiting lake Furnas sediments (Azores). Fingerprinting analysis of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragment was done by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The sequences retrieved from lake Furnas sediments were affiliated to Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi group, Chloroflexi, Alfa-, Delta-, and Gamma-subclasses of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes. A cyclic voltammetric study was carried out with an enriched sediment bacterial suspension in a standard two chamber electrochemical cell using a carbon paper anode. Cyclic voltammograms (scan rate of 50 mV/s) showed the occurrence of oxidation-reduction reactions at the carbon anode surface. The benthic microbial fuel cell operated with lake Furnas sediments presented a low power density (1 mW/m(2)) indicating that further work is required to optimise its power generation. These results suggested that sediment bacteria, probably from the Delta- and Gamma-subclasses of Proteobacteria, were electroactive under tested conditions.

Effect of graphite felt and activated carbon fiber felt on performance of freshwater sediment microbial fuel cell

“…In Table 1, the P max values of SMFCs with felt graphite 26 and carbon paper 27 without other operating characteristics are only 4 mW m −2 EFA and 1 mW m −2 EFA, respectively. The P max of SMFCs can be significantly increased by using a rotating cathode, 12 and biocathode.…”

Single medium microbial fuel cell: Stainless steel and graphite electrode materials select bacterial communities resulting in opposite electrocatalytic activities

“…Bacterial species related to a-Proteobacteria and d-Proteobacteria were predominant in the biofilm collected from the stainless steel electrode, while a-Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were mainly present inside the biofilm from the graphite electrode. These groups of bacteria have been commonly observed in electroactive biofilms from sediments [13,31]. Sulfitobacter sp.…”

Construction and operation of freshwater sediment microbial fuel cell for electricity generation

“…In recent years, the application of SMFCs in freshwater environments gets more research attentions, although current output values from freshwater SMFCs were not high likely due to the low conductivity [27]. In freshwater environments, the maximum power densities in SMFC with felt graphite [4] and carbon paper [28] as cathode were 4 mW m -2 and 2 mW m -2 , respectively, while a maximum power density from SMFC with rotating Pt cathode [17] reached to 49 mW m -2 . In this study, power generation by the SMFC with GAC cathode in our research was 3.5 mW m -2 , and further increased to 11.2 mW m -2 with adding cellulose.…”