Photosynthetic membrane-less microbial fuel cells to enhance microalgal biomass concentration

The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the net increase in microalgal biomass concentration induced by photosynthetic microbial fuel cells (PMFC). The experiment was conducted on six lab-scale PMFC constituted by an anodic chamber simulating an anaerobic digester connected to a cathodic chamber consisting of a mixed algae consortia culture. Three PMFC were operated at closed circuit (PMFC+) whereas three PMFC were left unconnected as control (PMFC-). PMFC+ produced a higher amount of carbon dioxide as a product of the organic matter oxidation that resulted in 1.5–3 times higher biomass concentration at the cathode compartment when compared to PMFC-Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft