title: Electrical output of bryophyte microbial fuel cell systems is sufficient to power a radio or an environmental sensor.
abstract: Plant microbial fuel cells are a recently developed technology that exploits photosynthesis in vascular plants by harnessing solar energy and generating electrical power. In this study, the model moss speciesPhyscomitrella patens, and other environmental samples of mosses, have been used to develop a non-vascular bryophyte microbial fuel cell (bryoMFC). A novel three-dimensional anodic matrix was successfully created and characterized and was further tested in a bryoMFC to determine the capacity of mosses to generate electrical power. The importance of anodophilic microorganisms in the bryoMFC was also determined. It was found that the non-sterile bryoMFCs operated withP. patensdelivered over an order of magnitude higher peak power output (2.6 ± 0.6 µW m-2) than bryoMFCs kept in near-sterile conditions (0.2 ± 0.1 µW m-2). These results confirm the importance of the microbial populations for delivering electrons to the anode in a bryoMFC. When the bryoMFCs were operated with environmental samples of moss (non-sterile) the peak power output reached 6.7 ± 0.6 mW m-2. The bryoMFCs operated with environmental samples of moss were able to power a commercial radio receiver or an environmental sensor (LCD desktop weather station).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , Hopkins Building, Downing Site, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW , UK.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5836-0218
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bombelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Hopkins Building, Downing Site, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK; The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ross J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , Hopkins Building, Downing Site, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW , UK.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Felder
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences , University of Cambridge , Downing Site, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA , UK.
authors.forename: Matt B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town , South Africa.
authors.forename: Durgaprasad
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0891-3336
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Madras Rajaraman Iyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences , University of Cambridge , Downing Site, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA , UK.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Royles
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town , South Africa.
authors.forename: Susan T L
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences , University of Cambridge , Downing Site, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA , UK.
authors.forename: Alison G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences , University of Bristol , Life Sciences Building, Downing, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ , UK.
authors.forename: C Jill
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5228-600X
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , Hopkins Building, Downing Site, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW , UK.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Howe
keywords: bioelectricity; bryoMFC; bryophyte; electrochemistry; microbial fuel cell; plant microbial fuel cell