Plant-microbial fuel cells based on non-invasive International Publishing House for scientific periodicals electrode systems

The work is devoted to studying the mechanisms of generating bioelectric potentials in the root-inhabited-plant system and the creation of plant-microbial fuel cells (PMFC). The construction of experimental PMFC that allows studying the influence of the configuration and material of electrode systems on the values of bioelectric potentials (BEP) generated in the         root-inhabited-plant system, on the physiological state of the plant organism depending on environmental factors: mineral nutrition, light regime, soil layer depth, has been developed. The possibility of using the developed technology for measuring BEP to create long-lasting plant-microbial fuel cells based on the use of the electrical activity of plants as an electromotive force was shown. The electrodes were made of various carbon materials. The maximum current value obtained in the experimental PMFC was 83 nA per plant growth area (0.0023 m³). The maximum value of the biopotential obtained from one PMFC on the 16th day of the growth was 150 mV; the average BEP was about 100 mV. Thus, a hybrid system that combines plant and microbial organisms with electrogenic properties is aimed at generating sustainable renewable environmentally friendly energy. PMFC technology allows the production of green energy almost everywhere where plants grow, and is applicable both in the natural environment and for growing agricultural crops in open ground, greenhouses, phytotech complexes and regulated agroecosystems. An agrotechnological energy complex based on PMFC is not only capable of ensuring the production of renewable energy, but will also make it possible to simultaneously obtain high-quality plant products. A bioelectrochemical system based on plant electrogenesis can be used to create low-power unattended energy sources capable of partially supporting the vital activity of plants by supplying power to pumps, light sources based on LEDs, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and IoT-based sensors, various sensors of environmental parameters and physiological state of plants. It can also be used in scientific research in the field of plant growing, agrophysics, plant biophysics as a biosensor for monitoring the condition of a plant and correcting cultivation technologies.

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