EES Blog

Parting with ideas previously reported in the literature, Scientists based at Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the USA found that the metabolic activity of a Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilm were higher at the surface of the film due to low porosity, with acetate unable to penetrate further in.

They found, however, that long-range electron transfer was not restricted by electrical resistance through the biofilm.

The results could help researchers optimise the conditions needed for maximum microbial fuel cell performance.

Read this HOT Energy & Environmental Science article today:

Metabolic spatial variability in electrode-respiring Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms
R. S. Renslow, J. T. Babauta, A. C. Dohnalkova, M. I. Boyanov, K. M. Kemner, P. D. Majors, J. K. Fredrickson and H. Beyenal
DOI: 10.1039/C3EE40203G