The Effect of Electrode Type on Energy Efficiency in Microbial Fuel Cells Using vgb+ Recombinant Enterobacter aerogenes

In this study, microbial fuel cells were designed using E. aerogenes, an important proton producing bacterium, to determine energy efficiency. In the design of these fuel cells, nafion membrane is preferred as a proton permeable membrane. Potassium ferricyanide was used in the cathode section when the anode partition mediator was prefered as methylene blue. Within the scope of the study, the efficiency of the electrode route on the optimization and energy efficiency of fuel pellets prepared using E. aerogenes was determined. A comparative study was carried out using graphite, composite and copper electrodes as the electrode type. In the experiment with copper electrode, the highest voltage value was read as 0.23 V, 0.38 V on the composite electrode and 0.52 V on the carbon electrode. It is determined that the electrode giving the highest voltage is the carbon electrode. Furthermore, optimization of designed microbial fuel cell’s nutrient, pH and microorganism incubation time has been realized