Bioelectricity production of PMFC using Lobelia Queen Cardinalis in individual and shared soil configurations

Abstract

Plant Microbial Fuel Cell (PMFC) creates electricity from oxidation of root exudates by microbia anaerobic digestion, and reduction of dioxygen to water. In this study, Lobelia Queen Cardinalis was used as a plant model to investigate the impact of ionic connection between stacked Plant microbial fuel cell (shared soil). 10mm thickness carbon felt woven with stainless steel wire was used for both anode and cathode, and soil was a mix of potting soil and ground from pond banks (30\%-70\% weight, respectively). Independent performances did not show any difference between individual and shared soil PMFCs. Stacking independent PMFC in series sums both open circuit potential (OCP) and internal resistance, while stacking in parallel sums current, keeping open circuit potential to the mean of the OCPs. Although series stacking seems to output best performances, this configuration may cause voltage reversal in one PMFC when current is strong, leading to biofilm damage, so stacking in parallel is recommended.