Measurement of pH distribution near the air-cathode of a single-chamber microbial fuel cell using location sensor-equipped microelectrodes

The oxygen reduction reaction at the Cathode of a microbial fuel cell is known to be responsible for a localized increase in pH, but it is difficult to determine the precise distance between the measurement points and the cathode. In this study, a location sensor was attached to a micro pH electrode to determine this distance during the measurement of pH distribution. Without substrate, the pH slightly increased within the range of 0 to 0.8 mm from the cathode and reached a maximum of 7.2, whereas with substrate, the pH sharply increased within the range of 0 to 1.4 mm and reached 93. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.