[4-1600-A] Postharvest/Food Technology and Process Engineering (3)

[4-1600-A-01] Electricity Production from Xylose in Microbial Fuel Cells Started with Three Different Inoculum Sources

*Yite Liu¹, Megumi Ueda¹, Tadashi Chosa¹, Seishu Tojo¹ (1. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan))

Keywords:Microbial fuel cell, Xylose, Power generation, Biomass energy

Lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural residues is considered as a promising feedstock for the productions of bioethanol. However, the conversion of bioethanol fermentation from lignocellulosic biomass is limited since its low efficiency of utilization of xylose. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), the bioelectrochemical systems that use microorganisms as biocatalysts to oxidize organic and inorganic matters and recover electrons, shows the possibility to degrade xylose and generate electricity directly. This study aimed to investigate how the substrate was degraded and characteristics of electricity generation were influenced by comparing 3 different inoculum sources in the MFCs using xylose and acetate (reference) as sole carbon source. Six membrane-less MFCs with a single chamber and air-cathode in total volume of 26mL were inoculated with 3 inoculum sources, methane fermentation broth, cow dung compost and anaerobic sludge from a sewage treatment facility, respectively with two repetitions. The voltage across an external electric resistor in the circuit of the MFC was measured with a data logger at 5 minutes interval. Concentrations of xylose and volatile fatty acids were analyzed by HPLC after the depletion of carbon source. Polarization curves were made by varying the external resistance from 10 ohms to 1000 ohms. Coulombic Efficiency (CE) was calculated according to reduced carbon source and produced total coulombs by integrating the current over time. Results showed that all the three inoculums contained electrogenic bacteria, and the MFCs produced steady electricity from both acetate and xylose, whereas the characteristics of voltage output, substrate degradation and CE are different.