Direct Electricity Recovery from Canna indica by an Air-Cathode Microbial Fuel Cell Inoculated with Rumen Microorganisms

Aquatic plants are widely used for phytoremediation, and effective disposal methods should be pursued for their utilization and to avoid further environmental pollution problems. This study demonstrated that, using an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) inoculated with rumen microorganisms, electr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2010-04, Vol.44 (7), p.2715-2720
Main Authors: Zang, Guo-Long, Sheng, Guo-Ping, Tong, Zhong-Hua, Liu, Xian-Wei, Teng, Shao-Xiang, Li, Wen-Wei, Yu, Han-Qing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air
Animals
Applied sciences
Aquatic plants
Bioelectric Energy Sources - microbiology
Biomass
Biomass energy
Bioremediation
Canna indica
Cellulose
Cellulose - analysis
Conservation of Energy Resources - methods
Electricity
Electricity generation
Electrochemical Techniques
Electrodes
Energy
Energy and the Environment
Energy-Generating Resources
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc
Exact sciences and technology
Fatty Acids, Volatile - analysis
Fuel cells
Lignin
Lignin - analysis
Lignocellulose
Microorganisms
Natural energy
Photoelectron Spectroscopy
Polysaccharides - analysis
Rumen - microbiology
Solubility
X-Ray Diffraction
Zingiberales - metabolism
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Summary:Aquatic plants are widely used for phytoremediation, and effective disposal methods should be pursued for their utilization and to avoid further environmental pollution problems. This study demonstrated that, using an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) inoculated with rumen microorganisms, electricity could be directly produced with a maximum power density of 0.405 W/m3 from Canna indica (canna), a lignocellulosic aquatic plant rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, without pretreatment. The mechanisms of the Canna indica degradation in the MFC were elucidated through analyzing the changes of canna structure and intermediates, that is, soluble sugars and volatile fatty acids (VFAs), in the electricity generation process. The results showed that lignin was partially removed and more cellulose became exposed on the sample surface during the electricity generation in the MFC. The electron transfer in this MFC was mainly completed through electron shuttling via self-produced mediators. This work presents an attempt to understand how complex substrates like aquatic plants are decomposed in an MFC during electricity generation. It might, hopefully, provide a promising way to utilize lignocellulosic biomass for energy generation.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es902956e