Biomass based bio-electro fuel cells based on carbon electrodes: an alternative source of renewable energy

Abstract

The increasing concerns for sustainable economy and alarming environmental health are making researchers to pay serious attention to bio-fuels that too primarily synthesized from the biomass. An energy transforming machine extracting energy directly from biomass would be an idyllic condition. Regrettably, devices using sustainable energy resource have shown to have low output, not meeting the demands of practical appliances. Serious efforts are being dedicated to research on the prospects of bio-fuel powered fuel cells as green energy exchange tool. To comprehend this, scientists are working on the production and expansion biological fuel cell (BFC) which are electro-chemical devices utilizing electro-active bacteria for producing electricity through oxidation. The materials used for electrodes in BFCs, should have conductivity, porosity, biocompatibility, low in cost and recyclability. The materials tested for BFCs are principally metal-based, carbon-based or purposely built advanced materials. The research efforts over the last decade have positioned macro-porous and composite of carbon-based nanostructures with controllable surface and electronic characteristics to be used as a support-matrix for metallic electro catalysts or as proficient non-metallic electro catalysts in BFCs. This review article discusses about the present challenges and future prospects in the field of current progresses in the field of carbon based catalysis system for biomass based microbial fuel cells which extract energy from biomass resources either directly or indirectly.