Affiliations 

  • 1 Centro de Investigación de Energías Alternativas y Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Panamericana Sur Km 1 ½, Chimborazo EC060155, Ecuador. logrono.w@gmail.com
  • 2 Centro de Investigación de Energías Alternativas y Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Panamericana Sur Km 1 ½, Chimborazo EC060155, Ecuador. alexfernag@gmail.com
  • 3 Centro de Investigación de Energías Alternativas y Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Panamericana Sur Km 1 ½, Chimborazo EC060155, Ecuador. map_1090@hotmail.com
  • 4 Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment, National University of Malaysia (UKM), UKM Bangi, Selangor 43600, Malaysia. abudoukeremu@163.com
  • 5 Centro de Investigación de Energías Alternativas y Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Panamericana Sur Km 1 ½, Chimborazo EC060155, Ecuador. crecalde672000@yahoo.com
Sensors (Basel), 2015;16(1).
PMID: 26784197 DOI: 10.3390/s16010101

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells represent an innovative technology which allow simultaneous waste treatment, electricity production, and environmental monitoring. This study provides a preliminary investigation of the use of terrestrial Single chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SMFCs) as biosensors. Three cells were created using Andean soil, each one for monitoring a BOD concentration of synthetic washed rice wastewater (SRWW) of 10, 100, and 200 mg/L for SMFC1, SMFC2 and SMFC3, respectively. The results showed transient, exponential, and steady stages in the SMFCs. The maximum open circuit voltage (OCV) peaks were reached during the elapsed time of the transient stages, according to the tested BOD concentrations. A good linearity between OCV and time was observed in the increasing stage. The average OCV in this stage increased independently of the tested concentrations. SMFC1 required less time than SMFC2 to reach the steady stage, suggesting the BOD concentration is an influencing factor in SMFCs, and SMFC3 did not reach it. The OCV ratios were between 40.6-58.8 mV and 18.2-32.9 mV for SMFC1 and SMFC2. The reproducibility of the SMFCs was observed in four and three cycles for SMFC1 and SMFC2, respectively. The presented SMFCs had a good response and reproducibility as biosensor devices, and could be an alternative for environmental monitoring.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.