Optimizing the Metabolic Energy Gains to enhance the performance of a Microbial Fuel Cell (M.F.C)

Abstract

A Microbial Fuel Cell is a device that can be used to exploit the bio-electrochemical interactions between the bacteria and the organic matter present in the substrate to produce electricity. For doing so, the bacteria oxidize the organic matter and deposit the electrons at a suitable electrode. Despite the promising nature of the M.F.C, this device falls short of commercialization due to its low power density. This paper presents a new idea, which theoretically resolves the energy problems associated with a M.F.C by optimizing the factors which affect the energy production the most; viz thermodynamic properties (Entropy, Enthalpy), bacterial competitions, variations in cell potential with rising temperatures and electrode selection.