Design and testing of a microbial fuel cell for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into electricity

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dc.contributor.advisorBecker, Jenniferen_US
dc.contributor.authorGregoire, Kyla Patriciaen_US
dc.contributor.departmentCivil Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-10-07T05:33:10Z
dc.date.available2010-10-07T05:33:10Z
dc.date.issued2010en_US
dc.description.abstractPrevious research has demonstrated that microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the ability to degrade soluble substrates such as wastewater; however, very few studies have attempted the conversion particulate biomass to electricity in an MFC. A single-chamber, air cathode MFC was developed using a solid, lignocellulosic substrate (corncob pellets) as the electron donor. The first trial, using a prototype reactor with a graphite rod anode, ran for 415 hours, and generated a maximum open circuit voltage and current of 0.67 V and 0.25 mA, respectively. The second trial employed graphite brush anodes and multiple microbial inocula. A pasteurized soil inoculum resulted in negligible power (P = 0.144 mW/m3). The addition of rumen fluid, which naturally contains cellulose-degrading microorganisms, and Geobacter metallireducens, resulted in Pmax values of 77 mW/m3 and 159 mW/m3, respectively. Analysis of hydrogen, methane, organic acids, and the mass of substrate consumed provided insight into the relationship between cellulose oxidation, methanogenesis, and power production.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/10768
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEngineering, Environmentalen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEnergyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledcorn stoveren_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledenergyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledlignocelluloseen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledmicrobial fuel cellen_US
dc.titleDesign and testing of a microbial fuel cell for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into electricityen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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