Investigating the Effect of Sodium Acetate Substrate Concentration and Oxygenation Rate on System Voltage and Pollution Removal in a Plant Microbial Fuel Cell

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Sh. Shokri ¹

V. Rostampour ¹

K. Mollazade ²

S. Amiri ³

A. Fathoolahi Qharachapogh ⁴

¹ Department of Mechanical Biosystems, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

² Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

³ Department of Food Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Urmia, Urmia, Iran

⁴ Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.2025.91299.1326

Abstract

Introduction
The increasing global population has intensified the demand for sustainable energy solutions. Meeting this need requires leveraging renewable energy sources that also address pollution management and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plant microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) have gained attention as innovative systems that produce electricity by decomposing organic matter in their anodic chambers, providing a dual benefit of clean energy generation and environmental remediation. These systems align closely with global sustainable development goals and represent a novel approach to energy production from organic materials.
Materials and Methods
This research focused on a plant microbial fuel cell system designed to contribute to sustainable development objectives. The system employed Cyperus plant and Shewanella oneidensis microorganisms to decompose organic substrates, including carbohydrates secreted by plant roots or other external sources, within the anodic chamber. Voltage output was measured using a voltage sensor connected to an Arduino UNO board, with data collected at two-hour intervals. The experiment investigated the effects of two parameters: oxygenation rate in the cathodic chamber and sodium acetate concentration in the anodic chamber, on the system performance.
Results and Discussion
The results revealed significant effects of both oxygenation and sodium acetate concentrations on the voltage output of the PMFC system. Increasing the oxygenation rate from 0 to 1 liter per minute enhanced the voltage output from 103 mV to 185 mV. Similarly, increasing sodium acetate concentration from 0 to 10 g L^-1 raised the voltage from 103 mV to 170 mV. Furthermore, pollution removal efficiency was evaluated using chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD) measurements. At the highest levels of sodium acetate concentration (20 g L^-1) and oxygenation rate (3 L min^-1), the pollution removal rate reached 90%. These findings underscore the capability of PMFCs to combine energy production with effective environmental cleanup.
Conclusion
The microbial-plant fuel cell system demonstrates considerable potential as a dual-purpose solution for renewable energy generation and pollution removal. Its high efficiency in utilizing microorganisms and plants for these tasks suggests that it could play a critical role in sustainable development. Future research should focus on addressing the system’s limitations and enhancing its scalability and reliability to support broader applications in renewable energy and environmental remediation.

Keywords

Cyperus plant

Plant microbial fuel cell

Phytoremediation

Pollution removal

Renewable energy

Shewanella oneidensis

Subjects

• Sustainability and Circular Bioeconomy, and Environmental Resilience

---

Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

References

1. Aghababaie, M., Farhadian, M., Jeihanipour, A., & Biria, D. (2015). Effective factors on the performance of microbial fuel cells in wastewater treatment–a review. Environmental Technology Reviews, 4(1), 71-89 https://doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2015.1077896
2. Di Lorenzo, M., Thomson, A. R., Schneider, K., Cameron, P. J., & Ieropoulos, I. (2014). A small-scale air-cathode microbial fuel cell for on-line monitoring of water quality. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 62, 182-188 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2014.06.050
3. Doosti, B., & Asakereh, A. (2025). Feasibility and Site Selection for Wind-Powered Road Lighting in Kermanshah Province. Journal of Agricultural Machinery, 15(4). (in Persian with English abstract). https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.2025.91098.1319
4. Fedosenko-Becker, T. N. (2019). Surface Modification of Bipolar Plates for Fuel Cells by Plasma Treatment (Doctoral dissertation). Universität Duisburg-Essen.
5. Feng, M., Meng, L., Zhang, Z., Zheng, Q., Wang, R., Yang, C., & Guo, W. (2024). Hierarchical modulation of extracellular electron transfer processes in microbial fuel cell anodes for enhanced power output through improved Geobacter adhesion. Electrochimica Acta, 487, 144165 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2024.144165
6. Golzarian, M., Ghiasvand, M., Shokri, S., Bahreini, M., & Kazemi, F. (2024). Performance evaluation of a dual-chamber plant microbial fuel cell developed for electricity generation and wastewater treatment. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 21(7), 5947-5954. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05415-5
7. Helder, M., Strik, D. P., Timmers, R. A., Raes, S. M., Hamelers, H. V., & Buisman, C. J. (2013). Resilience of roof-top plant-microbial fuel cells during Dutch winter. Biomass and Bioenergy, 51, 1-7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.10.011
8. Kacmaz, G. K., & Eczacioglu, N. (2024). The mechanism of bioelectricity generation from organic wastes: Soil/plant microbial fuel cells. Environmental Technology Reviews, 13(1), 76-95 https://doi.org/10.1080/21622515.2023.2283814
9. Logan, B. E. (2008). Microbial fuel cells. John Wiley & Sons
10. Logan, B. E. (2009). Exoelectrogenic bacteria that power microbial fuel cells. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 7(5), 375. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2113
11. Mishra, M., Desul, S., Santos, C. A. G., Mishra, S. K., Kamal, A. H. M., Goswami, S., & Baral, K. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of sustainable development goals (SDGs): a review of progress, challenges, and opportunities. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(5), 11101-11143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03225-w
12. Timmers, R. A., Strik, D. P., Hamelers, H. V., & Buisman, C. J. (2013). Electricity generation by a novel design tubular plant microbial fuel cell. Biomass and Bioenergy, 51, 60-67 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.01.002
13. Yadav, V. S., Srivastava, M. P., Yadav, R. K., & Kumar, N. (2024). Phytoremediation potential of plants for heavy metal contaminated soil. Library Progress International, 44(3), 5400-5406.