Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Air-Exposed Microbial Fuel Cells And Screening Techniques, Justin C. Biffinger, Bradley R. Ringeisen

U.S. Navy Research

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) harvest energy from a wide variety of natural carbon sources to produce electricity at neutral pH and ambient temperatures. To date, standard H₂/O₂ PEMFC technology has yet to generate significant power under those conditions. Because most environments on earth are exposed to significant levels of oxygen, we believe the transition from sediment based MFCs to oxygen-tolerant MFCs is necessary. This transition would require both a way to simultaneously sequester the metal-reducing microbes and reduce the overall concentration of oxygen in the anode chamber. Recent work suggests that power can be generated with significant …