Optimization of Agro-Industrial Waste Bioconversion into Bioelectricity

Tammam, Abdelrahman Mohamed; Mohamed, Mahmoud Saleh; Moubasher, Hani

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2024.284772.9629

Optimization of Agro-Industrial Waste Bioconversion into Bioelectricity

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Microbiology and Botany department, Faculty of Science,Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

² Faculty of Science, Cairo University

³ Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University

10.21608/ejchem.2024.284772.9629

Abstract

Bioelectricity is considered one of the most important sources of clean green energy that has attracted the attention of many scientists to try to discover some of its secrets. Agro-industrial waste is widely used in the production of alternative energy in general and electricity in particular. There is an important agro-industrial waste produced during the molasses (black honey) industry in Upper Egypt, this waste called (El-ghasheem). In the present work, El-ghasheem was used in an economical-designed microbial fuel cell (MFC) to obtain cheap green electricity. The ’H’-type MFC was operated with a capacity of 600 ml in each chamber, and copper wire was used to link the two graphite rod electrodes. Lamp wicks that had been soaked in a 1M KCl solution were used to create an inexpensive salt bridge. Factors affecting the production of bioelectricity from this MFC were optimized to get the optimum power. Bioelectricity production was enhanced using crude microbial laccase as a cathodic reaction biocatalyst. Laccase produced from Penicillium chrysogenum was used to increase voltage and current from 0.40±0.011 V, 0.02±0.002 A to 0.608±0.002 V and 0.05±0.003 A, respectively at 37 °C, anolyte pH 6, and catholyte pH 5 for a 10-day incubation period.

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