ABSTRACT
M. J. ANGELAA LINCY,1 B. ASHOK KUMAR,2 V. S. VASANTHA,3 and P. VARALAKSHMI1
1Department of Molecular Microbiology, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
2Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
3Department of Natural Products, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
3.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 63 3.2 Components of a Fuel Cell ............................................................ 66
3.2.1 Types of Fuel Cells ........................................................... 67 3.2.2 Types of MFC Based on the Reactor Models................... 74 3.2.3 Components of a Microbial Fuel Cell .............................. 75 3.2.4 Applications of Microbial Fuel Cells ............................... 76 3.2.5 Microbial Fuel Cells in Electricity Generation ................ 76 3.2.6 Mechanism of Electricity Production ............................... 76 3.2.7 Microbial Fuel Cells in Hydrogen Production ................. 77 3.2.8 Microbial Fuel Cells in Wastewater Treatment ................ 78 3.2.9 Environmental Sensors ..................................................... 79 3.2.10 Bioremediation ................................................................. 79
3.2.11 Organisms Employed in Fuel Cells .................................. 79 3.3 Conclusion ..................................................................................... 80 Keywords ................................................................................................ 80 References ............................................................................................... 80
ABSTRACT
The Indian sub-continent is luxuriously bestowed with all wealth in the form of population, land and ocean. Being placed as the second highly populated nation in the world, India is under the urge to nurture the needs of its population. Its various demands such as the demand for food, employment, economy, etc., can be completely resolved if the country is adequately supplied with energy. But adequate supplying of energy to such a vast population is quiet an impossible task, which demands seek for alternative energy sources. The widely known alternative energy sources are generally, renewable energy sources such as solar cells, fuel cells and wind power. At this moment, several fuel cell types based on hydrogen and methanol work appropriately, and applications already exist for, for example, portable computers. However, the question can be raised whether this energy generation is really sustainable. Furthermore, the customer may not like to carry hydrogen gas (even captured within a metal hydride matrix) or methanol. But, Microbial fuel cells can operate on a large variety of substrates that are readily available, even in any supermarket. Substrates such as plain sugar and starch are easy to store, contain more energy than any other feed type per unit of volume, and are easy to dose. Furthermore, they have a more ‘green’ image than, for example, methanol. Moreover, MFCs can be developed that are environmentally friendly in terms of material composition.
