Energy production on a Microbial Fuel Cell with Serratia marcescens, using conductive fabric as electrodes

Abstract

The production of energy is a trend subject nowadays, with overdo of fossil fuels and the spread of renewable energies. The search for new ways to produce energy is wide; in this case, a gram-negative bacteria Serratia marcescens is usedwith a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). This device will convert the chemical en-ergy coming from the catalytic activity of the bacteria into electricity. To optimize the reference system, in order to increase the electrical efficiency, a graphene film deposition is used over a conductive contact layer, recent conductive mate-rials made of fabric are an alternative to the common chromium-gold film, to main-tain the neutrality and avoid the oxygen diffusion it is used a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) and a different membrane made of cellulose acetate. This structure allows a more in-depth capture of the free electrodes from the anode chamber.