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Green electricity production with living plants and bacteria in a fuel cell
Author(s) -
Strik David P. B. T. B.,
Hamelers Bert H. V. M.,
Snel Jan F. H.,
Buisman Cees J. N.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.1397
Subject(s) - bioenergy , microbial fuel cell , renewable energy , biofuel , electricity generation , environmental science , energy source , electricity , waste management , engineering , electrical engineering , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
The world needs sustainable, efficient, and renewable energy production. We present the plant microbial fuel cell (plant‐MFC), a concept that exploits a bioenergy source in situ . In the plant‐MFC, plants and bacteria were present to convert solar energy into green electricity. The principal idea is that plants produce rhizodeposits, mostly in the form of carbohydrates, and the bacteria convert these rhizodeposits into electrical energy via the fuel cell. Here, we demonstrated the proof of principle using Reed mannagrass. We achieved a maximal electrical power production of 67 mW m −2 anode surface. This system was characterized by: (1) nondestructive, in situ harvesting of bioenergy; (2) potential implementation in wetlands and poor soils without competition to food or conventional bioenergy production, which makes it an additional bioenergy supply; (3) an estimated potential electricity production of 21 GJ ha −1 year −1 (5800 kWh ha −1 year −1 ) in Europe; and (4) carbon neutral and combustion emission‐free operation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.