Microbial Fuel Cell

Presentation Type

Poster/Portfolio

Presenter Major(s)

Biomedical Sciences

Mentor Information

M. Aaron Baxter, baxteraa@gvsu.edu

Department

Biomedical Sciences

Location

Kirkhof Center KC55

Start Date

13-4-2011 11:00 AM

End Date

13-4-2011 12:00 PM

Keywords

Life Science

Abstract

A microbial fuel cell is a closed system in which a microbe oxidizes a substrate and captures the electrons that normally pass through the organism's electron transport chain. In normal respiration, hydrogen ions are pumped outside of the cell as electrons are passed through a series of electron carrying proteins. The result is the generation of ATP. The microbial fuel cells in our lab utilizes a mediator which captures these electrons during the oxidation of a metabolic substrate by the bacteria. These electrons are passed to the cathode resulting in an electrical current. With the system utilized in the lab, we experimented with a series of small fuel cells. Each individual fuel cell was optimized to produce an average current of ~500mV. This project was designed to develop a laboratory exercise for BMS 323 (Bacterial Physiology Lab) that illustrated the concepts of microbial respiration and demonstrated the capacity that microbes have to act as a potential source of green energy.

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Apr 13th, 11:00 AM Apr 13th, 12:00 PM

Microbial Fuel Cell

Kirkhof Center KC55

A microbial fuel cell is a closed system in which a microbe oxidizes a substrate and captures the electrons that normally pass through the organism's electron transport chain. In normal respiration, hydrogen ions are pumped outside of the cell as electrons are passed through a series of electron carrying proteins. The result is the generation of ATP. The microbial fuel cells in our lab utilizes a mediator which captures these electrons during the oxidation of a metabolic substrate by the bacteria. These electrons are passed to the cathode resulting in an electrical current. With the system utilized in the lab, we experimented with a series of small fuel cells. Each individual fuel cell was optimized to produce an average current of ~500mV. This project was designed to develop a laboratory exercise for BMS 323 (Bacterial Physiology Lab) that illustrated the concepts of microbial respiration and demonstrated the capacity that microbes have to act as a potential source of green energy.