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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Waste Water Derived Electroactive Microbial Biofilms: Growth, Maintenance, and Basic Characterization
Published on: December 29, 2013
Electricity production in membrane-less microbial fuel cell fed with livestock organic solid waste
Yunhee Lee1, Nagamany Nirmalakhandan
1Civil Engineering Department, MSC 3CE, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
Abstract:
Two different MFC configurations designed for handling solid wastes as a feedstock were evaluated in batch mode: a single compartment combined membrane-electrodes (SCME) design; and a twin-compartment brush-type anode electrodes (TBE) design (reversed T-shape MFC with two-air cathode) without a proton exchange membrane (PEM). Cattle manure was tested as a model livestock organic solid waste feedstock. Under steady conditions, voltage of 0.38 V was recorded with an external resistance of 470Ω. When digested anaerobic sludge was used as the seed in the SCME design, a maximum power density of 36.6 mW/m(2) was recorded. When hydrogen-generating bacteria (HGB) were used as the seed used in the TBE design, a higher power density of 67 mW/m(2) was recorded.
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