Project seeks to improve the efficiency of microbial fuel cells

In MFCs, electrons from microbial metabolism flow from bacteria toward an anode then on through an external circuit, finally converting oxygen into water at the cathode and closing the cycle.

Susan Rosser, principal investigator on the EPSRC-funded project, told The Engineer: ‘Bacteria use carbon when they metabolise and they produce electrons as a by-product.’

‘Certain strains of bacteria have the capability to transfer those electrons to electrodes, which can produce a current,’ she explained.

Rosser claimed that the power generated by MFCs is still too low for practical application despite work being done to improve this situation, such as altering the hardware of microbial fuel cells or changing the electrode material.

‘We’re taking a biological engineering approach where we’re using synthetic biology in order to engineer the bacteria to be more productive,’ Rosser added.

There are a variety of ways through which bacteria transfer electrons to electrodes and Rosser hopes to pinpoint and further understand these in her research.