Sediments Microbial Fuel Cells SMFCs

Molecular analysis of the microbial community on anode surfaces revealed an obvious predominance of bacteria in the family Geobacteraceae 

Constant input of organic r-i matter from water column I 

Structure and active material of the electrodes determine the overall power output of an SMFC to a great extent. Power densities reported for SMFCs are usually normalised to the anode surface area, since the fuel cell volumes are undetectable in most cases. The first SMFC which was built with Ft anode and Ft cathode provided a power density of 15 mW m [125]. SMFCs built with graphite disks electrodes generally produced a maximum power density of 18-32 mW m-2, depending on the geochemical characteristics of the site [42]. Other electrode materials include carbon cloth, stainless steel and carbon fibre brush. 

The long-term stability should be considered when evaluating the performance of an SMFC. The system performance may be restrained after a period of operation, due to an insufficient supply of substrate or electrode poisoning by sulphur deposition or other reasons. For example, in a SMFC field test [130], a maximum sustained power output of 34 mW m was obtained over the first 26 days of operation, but reduced to less than 6 mW m in the next 72 days. 

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