Abstract
Plant Microbial Fuel Cell (PMFC) creates electricity from oxidation of root exudates by microbia anaerobic digestion, and reduction of dioxygen to water. In this study, Lobelia Queen Cardinalis was used as a plant model to investigate the impact of ionic connection between stacked Plant microbial fuel cell (shared soil). 10mm thickness carbon felt woven with stainless steel wire was used for both anode and cathode, and soil was a mix of potting soil and ground from pond banks (30\%-70\% weight, respectively). Independent performances did not show any difference between individual and shared soil PMFCs. Stacking independent PMFC in series sums both open circuit potential (OCP) and internal resistance, while stacking in parallel sums current, keeping open circuit potential to the mean of the OCPs. Although series stacking seems to output best performances, this configuration may cause voltage reversal in one PMFC when current is strong, leading to biofilm damage, so stacking in parallel is recommended.
Highlights
Plant Microbial Fuel cells are promising alternatives for renewable energy harvesting systems
A typical Plant Microbial Fuel Cell (PMFC) comprises an anode installed deep in the soil, a cathode placed on the ground surface, separated by the soil which acts as a membrane, and connected by an external electrical circuit
This study demonstrates that a combination of series and parallel connection between cells might be the best choice to extract more performances in individual PMFCs
Summary
Plant Microbial Fuel cells are promising alternatives for renewable energy harvesting systems. These electrochemical systems use plants and exoelectrogenic bacteria to convert the carbon stored in the soil into electrical energy [1]. Surplus of produced sugars are excreted by the roots, as root exudations and are translocated into the soil [2] These organic molecules are used as renewable resource in PMFC for electrical energy production. Electrons transmitted to the anode are carried away by the external circuit, and protons are transferred across the cathode via soil. This flow of charges generates electrical energy. Several factors limit the implementation of larger scale PMFC for real application
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