Plekhanova, Y.; Tarasov, S.; Kolesov, V.; Kuznetsova, I.; Signore, M.; Quaranta, F.; Reshetilov, A. Effects of Polymer Matrices and Carbon Nanotubes on the Generation of Electric Energy in a Microbial Fuel Cell. Membranes 2018, 8, 99, doi:10.3390/membranes8040099.
Plekhanova, Y.; Tarasov, S.; Kolesov, V.; Kuznetsova, I.; Signore, M.; Quaranta, F.; Reshetilov, A. Effects of Polymer Matrices and Carbon Nanotubes on the Generation of Electric Energy in a Microbial Fuel Cell. Membranes 2018, 8, 99, doi:10.3390/membranes8040099.
Plekhanova, Y.; Tarasov, S.; Kolesov, V.; Kuznetsova, I.; Signore, M.; Quaranta, F.; Reshetilov, A. Effects of Polymer Matrices and Carbon Nanotubes on the Generation of Electric Energy in a Microbial Fuel Cell. Membranes 2018, 8, 99, doi:10.3390/membranes8040099.
Plekhanova, Y.; Tarasov, S.; Kolesov, V.; Kuznetsova, I.; Signore, M.; Quaranta, F.; Reshetilov, A. Effects of Polymer Matrices and Carbon Nanotubes on the Generation of Electric Energy in a Microbial Fuel Cell. Membranes 2018, 8, 99, doi:10.3390/membranes8040099.
Abstract
The anode of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was formed on a graphite electrode and immobilized Gluconobacter oxydans VKM-1280 bacterial cells. Immobilization was performed in chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) or N-vinylpyrrolidone-modified poly(vinyl alcohol). Ethanol was used as substrate. The anode was modified using multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The aim of the modification was to create a conductive network between cell lipid membranes, containing exposed PQQ-dependent alcoholdehydrogenases, and the electrode to facilitate electron transfer in the system. The bioelectrochemical characteristics of modified anodes at various cell/polymer ratios were assessed via current density, power density, polarization curves and impedance spectres. MFCs based on chitosan at a matrix/cell volume ratio of 5:1 produced maximal power characteristics of the system (8.3 μW/cm2) at a minimal resistance (1111 Ohm cm2). Modification of the anode by multiwalled carbon nanotubes led to a slight decrease of internal resistance (down to 1078 Ohm cm2) and to an increase of generated power density up to 10.6 μW/cm2. We explored the possibility of accumulating electric energy from an MFC on a 6,800-μF capacitor via a boost converter. Generated voltage was increased from 0.3 V up to 3.2 V. Accumulated energy was used to power a Clark-type biosensor and a bluetooth transmitter with three sensors, a miniature electric motor and a light-emitting diode.
Keywords
Microbial fuel cell; polymer matrix; immobilization of bacterial cells; interaction of cell membranes with carbon nanotubes, boostconverter accumulation
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Biology and Biotechnology
Copyright:
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