Impact of Commercial Sugar as a Substrate in Single-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells to Improve the Energy Production with Bioremediation of Metals

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have emerged as a viable method for bioremediation of toxic metals while also producing energy. In this paper, we examine the issue of organic substrate as a source of metabolism for microbe growth in MFC, as well as its significance for metal ion degradation in tandem with energy production. This study focused on the use of commercial sugar as an organic substrate in a single-chamber MFC. The MFC was operated for 27 days, with the highest voltage of 150 mV achieved on day 12, and toxic metal bioremediation efficiencies of 89%, 76.45%, and 89.45% for Pb2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+, respectively. Every 24 hours, the organic substrate (sugar solution) was fed into the cell. This study’s mechanism of metal ion degradation and electron transport is also thoroughly described. In addition, some future views have been highlighted.