Vertical-Ordered Electrogenic Biofilms Engineered Through Substrate-Electric Field Synergy for Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cell Performance

Xinyuan He, Shaoan Cheng (), Zhufan Lin, Yi Lu and Yuxiang Zhou
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Xinyuan He: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Shaoan Cheng: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Zhufan Lin: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Yi Lu: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Yuxiang Zhou: State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a novel and environmentally friendly technology for wastewater treatment and pollutant resource utilization. Although advances have been made in various aspects including electrode materials and synthetic biology approaches, the overall performance of MFC still requires improvement, with mass transfer efficiency and structural stability of biofilms emerging as key bottlenecks constraining their practical applications. This study investigated the regulation of substrate type and electrode potential during bioanode culture to optimize biofilm structure and enhance MFC performance. Results demonstrated that bioanodes cultured with glucose at −0.3 V formed vertically ordered biofilms that exhibited significant advantages in mass transfer characteristics, electrocatalytic activity, and structural stability. Under these culture conditions, enriched fermentative microorganisms facilitated the construction of porous biofilm scaffolds, while the electric field generated by the −0.3 V potential further induced vertical orientation and ordered arrangement of the biofilm. The superior mass transfer characteristics enabled the inner, middle, and outer layers of the biofilm to maintain high microbial activity (>50%), thereby maximizing the catalytic activity of electroactive microorganisms in each layer and enhancing biofilm structural stability. This study proposes a bioanode culture strategy centered on biofilm structural optimization, providing new theoretical foundations and technical pathways for achieving long-term stable and efficient MFC operation.

Keywords: bioanode; biofilm structure; verticality; growth order; mass transfer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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