National Centre for Biotechnology Education The Microbial fuel cell Copyright © Dean Madden, 2015
“The disintegration of organic compounds by microorganisms is accompanied by the liberation of electrical energy.” M.C. Potter, 1911
Potter’s fuel cell Glass ring to keep dialysis tubing open Dialysis tubing Copper wires to voltmeter Yeast and sugar solution Platinum electrode Glass bung to hold dialysis membrane open Sugar solution Platinum electrode
Rehydrate 2.5 g of yeast in 5 mL of buffer
Add 5 mL of 1M glucose solution to the yeast
Cut two electrodes ‘Grain’ of carbon paper Waste 38 mm 26 mm Fold to make a ‘tail’ on the electrode
Make two identical half cells Electrode Gasket Cloth
Electrode Gasket Membrane Cloth
Add 5 mL of 10 mM methylene blue solution to the yeast
Syringe the mixtures into opposite sides of the cell Potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) Yeast, glucose and methylene blue
How it works