Question

100. Microbial fuel cells are considered a source of sustainable energy. Why?
1. They use living organisms as catalysts to generate electricity from certain substrates.
2. They use a variety of inorganic materials as substrates.
3. They can be installed in waste water treatment plants to cleanse water and produce electricity.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

• A. Only 1
• B. Only 2 and 3
• C. Only 1 and 3
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is C Only 1 and 3

Microbial fuel cell is bio-electrochemical system that drives a current by using bacteria and taking away bacterial interactions from the nature. These devices consist of anode and cathode compartments separated by cation specific membrane which converts chemical energy into electrical energy through catalytic reaction of microorganisms, which makes statement 1 correct. The substrates used in such cells are organic in natures such as glucose, acetate, arabitol, carboxymethyl cellulose, corn stover biomass etc, which makes statement 2 incorrect. Statement 3 is correct as such cells are used in treatment of wastewater.