Running an MFC Experiment
This page is intended as a comprehensive guide to completing a microbial fuel cell setup and running an experiment from start to finish.
Creating a Testing Environment
Begin 1-2 weeks prior to experiment
Constructing Fuel Cell Components
Materials (per fuel cell)
- 4" Polycarbonate Square Tube, 2" Outer Diameter
- 6" x 6" Polycarbonate Sheet, 1/4" Thick
- 4 Steel Fully Threaded Stud, 1/4"-20 Thread, 6" Length
- 8 Zinc Alloy Wing Flange Nut, 1/4"-20 Screw Size, 1" Wing Spread
- 1" x 1" Nafion® membrane, 0.180mm thick
- 1" x 1" Carbon felt, 0.25" thick
- 1" x 1" E-TEK ELAT™ GDE (platinum on carbon)
- 1' Titanium Grade 2 Wire .046" Diameter
- Teflon Tape, 1/4" Width
- 6" x 3" Silicone Sheet
- Silicone Glue
- Spiral Point Tap 1/4"-28
- 8 Plastic Luer Lock Coupling Nylon, Female to Male Thread, 1/4"-28
Procedure
- Mill Polycarbonate
- Cut polycarbonate sheet into 4 equal 3" x 3" pieces
- Drill four 3/8" holes through each piece, 1 per corner, indented 5mm from both sides
- Cut polycarbonate tube into two equal 2" halves
- Drill four 1/4" holes through each half in configuration shown
- Tap each hole with 1/4" -28 spiral tap
- Glue Chambers (repeat for each half)
- Center tube on endplate by marking plate with 'X' from corner to corner
- Squirt 2mm thick line of silicone on edge of tube (edge furthest from holes)
- Press tube firmly against marked location on endplate
- Quickly use plastic spatula to spread excess silicone along edge
- Let stand 24h to harden
Setup of Digital Multimeter
Controlling the DMM with LabView™
Experiment Preparation
Begin 1 day prior to experiment
Assembling Chambers
Solutions Prep
Chamber media
- 5.844 g/L 100mM NaCl
- 15.1185 g/L 50mM PIPES (hydrogen)
7.0 pH
Phosphate buffer
- 2.918 g/L Monosodium phosphate, monohydrate
- 4.095 g/L Disodium phosphate, anhydrous
- 5.844 g/L 100mM NaCl
7.0 pH
Gas Tubing Assembly
Growing Strains
Runtime
Begin 2 hours prior to experiment
Bacteria
Fuel Cells
Injections/Variables
Clean Up
|
"
