Our new accepted article – MFCDiagn: A novel equipment operating on the principle of microbial fuel cells

Our novel article on the development of a new equipment for investigation of antibiotics-resistance, operating on the principle of microbial fuel cells. The article could be read here. The operating principle of microbial fuel cells is similar to the galvanic cells with the exception electrons produced by the metabolic processes of bacteria located in the anode cell will be transferred to a grafite electrode in the same chamber with the help of a mediator molecule, while the anode and chatode cells are separated with a protonselective memnrane. Thus a potentialdifference will be arosen between the two chambers inducing an electrone flow. The intensity of the elctric power is proportional with the intesity of metabolism of bacteria sitting in the anodic chamber, i.e. all chemicals which are toxic to these bacteria will reduce the intensity of this metabolism resulting the decrease of the electric power. This is the basic principle of the newly developed equipment, in which development I could take part. The research was led by Dr. György Schneider from the University of Pécs.

Principle of the microbial fuel cell