The Role of Material Selection and Microfluidics for Optimized Energy Conversion in Microbial Fuel Cells

Giulia Massaglia and Marzia Quaglio

A chapter in Energy Conversion - Current Technologies and Future Trends from IntechOpen

Abstract: This chapter book aims to present some key aspects, which play a crucial role to optimize the energy conversion process occurring in microbial fuel cells (MFCs): fluid dynamics and the materials selected as anodic electrodes. MFCs are (bio)-electrochemical devices that directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy, thanks to the metabolic activity of some bacteria. In the anodic compartment, these bacteria, named exoelectrogens, are able to oxidize the organic matter, directly releasing the electrons to the anode surface. The conversion process can be deeply influenced by how the electrolyte solution, containing the carbon-energy source, moves inside the device. For this reason, fluid dynamic modeling is an important tool to explain the correlation between the fluid flow and power output production, optimizing also the overall MFC performance. Moreover, the morphology of anode electrodes results to be essential to guarantee and enhance the bacteria proliferation on them, improving the energy conversion.

Keywords: microbial fuel cells; bioelectrochemical devices; exoelectrogenic bacteria; fluid dynamic; modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q20 Q40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ito:pchaps:146490

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.78641

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