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Review
. 2012 May;5(3):333-46.
doi: 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2011.00302.x. Epub 2011 Sep 29.

100 years of microbial electricity production: three concepts for the future

Jan B A Arends  1 , Willy Verstraete
Affiliations
Review

100 years of microbial electricity production: three concepts for the future

Jan B A Arends et al. Microb Biotechnol. 2012 May.

Abstract

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have been explored according to three main concepts: to produce energy from organic substrates, to generate products and to provide specific environmental services. In this work, by using an engineering approach, biological conversion rates are calculated for BES resp. anaerobic digestion. These rates are compared with currents produced by chemical batteries and chemical fuel cells in order to position BES in the 'energy'-market. To evaluate the potential of generating various products, the biochemistry behind the biological conversion rates is examined in relation to terminal electron transfer molecules. By comparing kinetics rather than thermodynamics, more insight is gained in the biological bottlenecks that hamper a BES. The short-term future for BES research and its possible application is situated in smart niches in sustainable environmental development, i.e. in processes where no large currents or investment cost intensive reactors are needed to obtain the desired results. Some specific examples are identified.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Three concepts for positioning a BES. Some process can be placed in another concept than depicted here. For instance, metal precipitation can also be considered in the product concept. However, there it deals with large volumes and loading rates whereas in the sustainability concept heavy metals are removed in function of decontamination. The same accounts for remote sediment systems for sensor powering. These also fit in a sustainable concept as no expandable batteries and expensive exchange operations are needed. A‐ = anion. C+ = cation. M+ = oxidized metal. M0 = zero valent metal. DiaI3 = diatrizoate, medical contrast medium. DiaH3 = de‐iodated medical contrast medium. TCE= tri‐chloroethylene.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Calculation scheme for metabolic rates in AD and BES based on AD default values. This scheme is used to calculate the values in Table 3. C = Coulomb. VSS = volatile suspended solids. COD = chemical oxygen demand. r = radius. d = day.
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