Red algae (Eucheuma cottonii) extract as a substrate in microbial fuel cell technology to generate electricity

Abstract

The continuous use of oil and gas fuels causes a global energy crisis and environmental pollution, so it is necessary to use renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a technology that can generate electricity by converting chemical energy into electrical energy using microorganisms as a catalyst. This research aimed to determine the potential of red algae (Eucheuma cottonii) as a substrate in MFC to generate electrical energy. This research used a dual-chamber MFC model. Anode chamber contains hydrolyzed red algae cellulose, peptone, yeast extract, KH2PO4, and methylene blue (this mixture is autoclaved before being put into the anode chamber), while the cathode chamber contains 0.2 M KMnO4 as the electrolyte solution. This reactor used Nafion 117 membrane as a proton exchange membrane. The electrical measurement was carried out every 4 hours for 48 hours. The highest power density using red algae as a substrate was 982 mW/cm2 with a value of maximum current 0.52 mA and potential different 370 mV. It is concluded that red algae (E. cottonii) extract can be employed as a subtract in the MFC system to produce electrical energy.