Toward Sustainability: Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Analysis of Microbial Fuel Cells Using Carrot Pulp

Segundo Jonathan Rojas-Flores (), Renny Nazario-Naveda, Santiago M. Benites, Daniel Delfin-Narciso and Moisés Gallozzo Cardenas
Additional contact information
Segundo Jonathan Rojas-Flores: Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Autónoma del Perú, Lima 15831, Peru
Renny Nazario-Naveda: Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Autónoma del Perú, Lima 15831, Peru
Santiago M. Benites: Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Autónoma del Perú, Lima 15831, Peru
Daniel Delfin-Narciso: Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Aplicadas y Nuevas Tecnologías, Universidad Privada del Norte, Trujillo 13011, Peru
Moisés Gallozzo Cardenas: Departamento de Ciencias, Universidad Tecnológica del Perú, Trujillo 13011, Peru

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: Limited access to electricity and high levels of CO 2 emissions—over 35 billion metric tons in recent years—highlight the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions, particularly in rural areas dependent on polluting fuels. To address this challenge, three single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with carbon anodes and zinc cathodes were designed and operated for 35 days in a closed circuit. Voltage, current, pH, conductivity, ORP, and COD were monitored. FTIR-ATR spectroscopy (range 4000–400 cm −1 ) was applied to identify structural changes, and polarization curves were constructed to estimate internal resistance. The main FTIR peaks were observed at 1027, 1636, 3237, and 3374 cm −1 , indicating the degradation of polysaccharides and hydroxyl groups. The maximum voltage reached was 0.961 ± 0.025 V, and the peak current was 3.052 ± 0.084 mA on day 16, coinciding with an optimal pH of 4.977 ± 0.058, a conductivity of 194.851 ± 2.847 mS/cm, and an ORP of 126.707 ± 6.958 mV. Connecting the three MFCs in series yielded a total voltage of 2.34 V. Taxonomic analysis of the anodic biofilm revealed a community dominated by Firmicutes (genus Lactobacillus : L. acidophilus , L. brevis , L. casei , L. delbrueckii , L. fermentum , L. helveticus , and L. plantarum ), along with Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria (electrogenic bacteria). This microbial synergy enhances electron transfer and validates the use of carrot waste as a renewable source of bioelectricity for low-power applications.

Keywords: microbial fuel cells; carrot waste; bioelectricity generation; agricultural sustainability; electrogenic microbial community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9114/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9114/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:20:p:9114-:d:1771277

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().