Bioelectricity generation from corn plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) using natural bamboo charcoal as electrodes and Shewanella oneidensis

Environmentally friendly energy is a burning issue in recent years due to the protection of the earth and the sustainable future. In this study, simultaneous bioelectricity generation and corn (Zea mays L.) harvesting have been carried out by using natural bamboo charcoal as electrode materials. Cathode was placed as parallel (horizontal) to and vertical to the surface, respectively in two corn plant microbial fuel cells. Another 2 cells have been prepared as blank PMFC but to compare the effects of plants. Voltage data has been measured once in a day for a total of 70 days (10 weeks). Weather factors such as mean temperature, solar radiation, precipitation were used to see the effects of these parameters in bioelectricity generation. It was noted that horizontal placement of cathode was better than that of vertical placement for power output (320 mW/m2 and 128 mW/m2, respectively). The peak voltage was around 980 mV, 120 mV (blank) for horizontal and 620 mV and 90 mV(blank)for vertical placement when the resistance was 100 Ω. Solar radiation and precipitation were more prominent weather factors for bioelectricity generation than the mean temperature. It was proved that simultaneous bioelectricity generation and corn harvesting can be possible by using plant microbial fuel cells.