Photosynthetic Microbial Fuel Cells: From Fundamental to Potential Applications

In photosynthetic microbial fuel cell (MFC), algae and photosynthetic bacteria undergo photosynthesis to generate electricity by harnessing the solar energy. The microorganisms on absorbing solar energy initiate a series of reactions to generate protons (H+ ions), electron, and oxygen through splitting of water. The energy from these reaction series is harnessed by placing photosynthetic organisms in anodic chamber separated from cathodic chamber by a semipermeable membrane selective for hydrogen ions. The electrons generated in an anodic chamber by photosynthetic activity of microbes travel through an outer circuit to the cathodic chamber, where they combine with protons and oxygen at the reductive electrode (cathode) to generate water. This technology has huge potential for converting solar energy into electrical energy and might also help to reduce the carbon footprint. The chapter discusses the concept, fundamentals, process design and operation of photosynthetic MFC. Furthermore, the role of photosynthetic organisms in MFC, various bottlenecks faced by MFC systems and their potential applications are also outlined in the chapter.