1. National Centre for Biotechnology Education www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk The Microbial fuel cell Copyright © Dean Madden, 2015

2. “The disintegration of organic compounds by microorganisms is accompanied by the liberation of electrical energy.” M.C. Potter, 1911

3. 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

5. Rehydrate 2.5 g of yeast in 5 mL of buffer

6. Add 5 mL of 1M glucose solution to the yeast

7. Cut two electrodes ‘Grain’ of carbon paper Waste 38 mm 26 mm Fold to make a ‘tail’ on the electrode

8. Make two identical half cells Electrode Gasket Cloth

9. Electrode Gasket Membrane Cloth

13. Add 5 mL of 10 mM methylene blue solution to the yeast

14. Syringe the mixtures into opposite sides of the cell Potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) Yeast, glucose and methylene blue

16. How it works