Benthic microbial fuel cells: A sustainable approach for metal remediation and electricity generation from sapodilla waste

Benthic microbial fuel cell (BMFC) is one type of bioelectrochemical fuel cells. BMFC follows the principle of the microbial fuel cell (MFC) to generate electricity and remediate metals contaminations. This study emphasizes the use of local sapodilla waste as an organic substrate to produce energy and simultaneously reduce the level of heavy metal pollution from wastewater. In the present work, the power density = 0.402 mW/m(2) was achieved within the 30-day operation of BMFC with constant external 1000 ohm resistance, while the internal resistance was 520 ohm. The electrochemical measurements results indicated that the operation showed high oxidation and reduction rate with moderate level electronic mobility. At the same time, the recovery of heavy metals found that Pb2+ = 95.40%, Cd2+ = 92.88%, and Cr3+ = 89.70% were reduced from the wastewater. The Bacillus, Leucobacter, and Citricoccus species are the major bacteria found on the surface of an anode and are known to be responsible for energy generation and metal remediation. The comparative profile of the previous studies versus the present study is well explained in the article to highlight the uniqueness of the results obtained in this study. Finally, multi-parameter optimization and conclusion are included for future research guidance.

Automated summary

The benthic microbial fuel cell utilizes local sapodilla waste to generate electricity and reduce heavy metal pollution in wastewater. The study demonstrates that under optimal conditions, the fuel cell can efficiently produce electricity and effectively remediate metals.