title: Electricity generation from defective tomatoes.
abstract: The United States faces a significant burden in treating 0.61billionkg of defective tomatoes (culls) every year. We present a proof-of-concept for generating electricity from culled tomatoes in microbial-electrochemical systems (MESs). This study delineates impedance behavior of the culled tomatoes in MESs and compares its impedance spectra with that of soluble substrates (dextrose, acetate, and wastewater). A series of AC and DC diagnostic tests have revealed the superior performance of the culled tomatoes compared to the pure substrates. Cyclic voltammetry results have indicated the active role of indigenous, diffusible redox-active pigments in the culled tomatoes on overall electricity production. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results have elucidated the role of peel and seed on the oxidation behavior of the culled tomatoes.
authors.affiliation: Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E. St. Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA.
authors.forename: Namita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fogg
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Fort Myers, FL 33965, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilder
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Fort Myers, FL 33965, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Fort Myers, FL 33965, USA.
authors.forename: Simeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komisar
authors.affiliation: Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E. St. Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA. Electronic address: Venkata.Gadhamshetty@sdsmt.edu.
authors.forename: Venkataramana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gadhamshetty
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004563:Electrochemistry; D018857:Food Packaging; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012995:Solubility
keywords: Defective tomato; Impedance; Microbial-electrochemical system; Voltammetry; Wastewater