Improved current and power density with a micro-scale microbial fuel cell due to a small characteristic length.

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical converter that can extract electricity from biomass by the catabolic reaction of microorganisms. This work demonstrates the impact of a small characteristic length in a Geobacteraceae-enriched, micro-scale microbial fuel cell (MFC) that achieved a high power density. The small characteristic length increased the surface-area-to-volume ratio (SAV) and the mass transfer coefficient. Together, these factors made it possible for the 100-µL MFC to achieve among the highest areal and volumetric power densities - 83 μW/cm(2) and 3300 μW/cm(3), respectively - among all micro-scale MFCs to date. Furthermore, the measured Coulombic efficiency (CE) was at least 79%, which is 2.5-fold greater than the previously reported maximum CE in micro-scale MFCs. The ability to improve these performance metrics may make micro-scale MFCs attractive for supplying power in sub-100 µW applications, especially in remote or hazardous conditions, where conventional powering units are hard to establish.

[1]  Fang Qian,et al.  A 1.5 microL microbial fuel cell for on-chip bioelectricity generation. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[2]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  A μL-scale micromachined microbial fuel cell having high power density. , 2011, Lab on a chip.

[3]  J. Chae,et al.  Miniaturizing microbial fuel cells for potential portable power sources: promises and challenges , 2012 .

[4]  D. R. Bond,et al.  Electrode-Reducing Microorganisms That Harvest Energy from Marine Sediments , 2002, Science.

[5]  Fang Qian,et al.  Miniaturizing microbial fuel cells. , 2011, Trends in biotechnology.

[6]  Bruce E. Logan,et al.  Scaling up microbial fuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[7]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  Reusable biosensors via in situ electrochemical surface regeneration in microfluidic applications. , 2009, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[8]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  An array of microliter-sized microbial fuel cells generating 100 μW of power , 2012 .

[9]  P. Parameswaran,et al.  The role of homoacetogenic bacteria as efficient hydrogen scavengers in microbial electrochemical cells (MXCs). , 2011, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[10]  Hyung-Sool Lee,et al.  Significance of biological hydrogen oxidation in a continuous single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell. , 2010, Environmental science & technology.

[11]  Mu Chiao,et al.  A Microfabricated PDMS Microbial Fuel Cell , 2008, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[12]  Derek R. Lovley,et al.  Novel strategy for three-dimensional real-time imaging of microbial fuel cell communities: monitoring the inhibitory effects of proton accumulation within the anode biofilm , 2009 .

[13]  Stefano Freguia,et al.  Microbial fuel cells: methodology and technology. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[14]  Bruce E. Logan,et al.  Scale-up of membrane-free single-chamber microbial fuel cells , 2008 .

[15]  Hong Liu,et al.  Enhanced Coulombic efficiency and power density of air-cathode microbial fuel cells with an improved cell configuration , 2007 .

[16]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Biofuel Cells Select for Microbial Consortia That Self-Mediate Electron Transfer , 2004, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[17]  Bruce E Rittmann,et al.  Proton transport inside the biofilm limits electrical current generation by anode‐respiring bacteria , 2008, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[18]  Hong Liu,et al.  Improved performance of CEA microbial fuel cells with increased reactor size , 2012 .

[19]  Hong Liu,et al.  Quantification of the internal resistance distribution of microbial fuel cells. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[20]  Muhammad M Hussain,et al.  Vertically grown multiwalled carbon nanotube anode and nickel silicide integrated high performance microsized (1.25 μL) microbial fuel cell. , 2012, Nano letters.

[21]  S. Jin,et al.  Feasibility of using microbial fuel cell technology for bioremediation of hydrocarbons in groundwater , 2007, Journal of environmental science and health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous substances & environmental engineering.

[22]  K. Najafi,et al.  Transfer of metal MEMS packages using a wafer-level solder transfer technique , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging.

[23]  Howard A. Stone,et al.  ENGINEERING FLOWS IN SMALL DEVICES , 2004 .

[24]  Mu Chiao,et al.  Micromachined microbial and photosynthetic fuel cells , 2006 .

[25]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  Optimal biofilm formation and power generation in a micro-sized microbial fuel cell (MFC) , 2013 .

[26]  D. Lovley,et al.  Electricity generation by direct oxidation of glucose in mediatorless microbial fuel cells , 2003, Nature Biotechnology.

[27]  H Beyenal,et al.  DIFFUSION IN BIOFILMS RESPIRING ON ELECTRODES. , 2013, Energy & environmental science.

[28]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Microbial fuel cells: novel biotechnology for energy generation. , 2005, Trends in biotechnology.

[29]  Gerald Gerlach,et al.  Introduction to Microsystem Technology: A Guide for Students , 2008 .

[30]  Hong Liu,et al.  Electricity generation using an air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cell in the presence and absence of a proton exchange membrane. , 2004, Environmental science & technology.

[31]  Prathap Parameswaran,et al.  Selecting anode-respiring bacteria based on anode potential: phylogenetic, electrochemical, and microscopic characterization. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.