Influence of the electrode systems parameters on the electricity generation and the possibility of hydrogen production in a plant-microbial fuel cell

Abstract

The work is devoted to the creation of plant-microbial fuel cell (PMFC). A design of а PMFC has been developed, which makes it possible to study the effect of the configuration and material of electrode systems on the values of bioelectric potentials (BEP) generated in the system of root environment-plant. The possibility of using the developed technology for measuring BEP to create long-term plant-microbial fuel cells based on the use of plants electrical activity as an electromotive force is shown. The electrodes were made of various carbon materials and stainless steel. The created experimental PMFCs are capable of generating voltages at the level of 230 mV in soil systems and 150 mV in hydroponic ones. The output power was about 50 mW/m2 at a load of 10 kΩ, which did not cause significant deviations in the state of the plants. The calculated possible yield of hydrogen per m3 of the root environment was 0.2 mmol/day. Thus, PMFC can become a promising source of green energy that can be combined with significant production processes for obtaining plant products or hydrogen.