Influence of the electrode systems parameters on the electricity generation and the possibility of hydrogen production in a plant-microbial fuel cell

The work is devoted to the creation of plant-microbial fuel cells (PMFC). A design of a cell for PMFC has been developed, which makes it possible to study the effect of the configuration and material of electrode systems on the values of bioelectric potentials (BEP) generated in the system root environment-plant. The possibility of using the developed technology for measuring BEP to create long-term plant-microbial fuel cells based on the use of plants electrical activity as an electromotive force is shown. The electrodes are made of various carbon materials and stain- less steel. The created experimental PMFCs are capable of generating voltages at the level of 230 mV in soil systems and 150 mV in hydroponic ones. The output power was about 50 mW/m2 at a load of 10 kΩ, which did not cause sig- nificant deviations in the condition of the plants. The calculated possible yield of hydrogen per m3 of the root envi- ronment was 0.4 mmol during the day. Thus, PMFC can become a promising source of green energy that can be combined with significant production processes for obtaining plant products or hydrogen.

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