Electricity generation by an enriched phototrophic consortium in a microbial fuel cell

Abstract

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is a novel electricity generation process catalyzed by microorganisms. Much progress is made in the design and construction of MFCs, however the diversity of the electrochemically active microorganisms and the electricity generation mechanisms remain a black box. As sun is a predominantly unused energy resource, here we present a highly enriched phototrophic consortium that can produce electricity in an “H” typed MFC at a high power density (2650 mW m −2, normalized to membrane area) in light, which was eightfold of that produced by non-enriched consortium in the same reactor. Light–dark shift experiments showed that light contributed to the electricity generation. A microbial excreted mediator assisted the electron transfer to the electrode. During the experiment, the accumulation of the mediator over time enhanced the electron transfer rate. The excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy results indicated indole group containing compound representing the dominant mediator component.