Электрогенез растительно-микробного топливного элемента при параллельном и последовательном соединении ячеек

Abstract

The paper describes electrogenic features of the plant-microbial fuel cell (PMFC) with various assembling of single cells into a battery. The operation of a single cell and two variants of electric circuit organization: parallel and series connection of PMFC, have been experimentally studied and compared. A potential difference, ~ 70 mV, was measured for a cell without a plant, which disappears with time. This supports the significant role of the plant in PMFC; we put forward a hypothesis of diffusion EMF production by the root system with the participation of electrogenic chemoorganoterotrophic microorganisms. It has been shown that the mean bioelectric potential generated by a single cell is 170 mV. It is increased by only 1.5 times in a series connection of 3 fuel cells. Load current increase is also observed for parallel connection of 3 PMFC, but also only by 1.5 times, and only in the late stages of the plant growth. It is likely that the sum of flowing currents and generated voltages affects the electrogenic reactions in each individual plant and microorganisms in each PMFC and thereby trigger some compensation mechanisms decreasing electrogenic plant features.