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Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
Self-recoverable voltage reversal in stacked microbial fuel cells due to biofilm capacitance
Bongkyu Kim1, Serah Choi1, Jae Kyung Jang2
1School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), 123 Cheomdangwagi-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
In order to assess the effects of biofilm capacitance on self-recovering voltage reversals, the restored current is determined and compared with the measured biofilm capacitance by analyzing the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This comparison demonstrates that self-recovering voltage reversals are caused by temporary damage to, and the recovery of, biofilm capacitance which arises due to the ability of redox enzymes in the electron transfer system to temporarily store electrons. Thus, the development of procedures for voltage reversal control and for the maintenance of serially connected microbial fuel cells (MFCs) should take into account such temporary voltage reversal phenomenon. This discovery and characterization of self-recovering voltage reversals is expected to be practically useful to enhance the reliability of MFCs to be scaled up and implemented in practical systems.
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