Performance evaluation of Epipremnum aureum plant-based microbial fuel cell using composite anode made up of carbonized corncob and carbon rod

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is the emerging technology that uses the photosynthetic reaction of plants to generate renewable and sustainable bio-electricity. In the present work, Epipremnum aureum plant was used to produce clean and sustainable bio-energy in a PMFC. The synergistic effect of the composite anode made up of carbonized corncob and the carbon rod on the electricity generation and plant growth was observed. The maximum power output of the PMFC with the composite carbonized corncob-carbon rod anode was 73.73 mW/m(2) which is much higher than the power output of PMFC with the plain carbon rod anode of 0.71 mW/m(2). High growth of the plant may be attributed to increase in the plant microbial interaction in the rhizosphere region which facilitates the transport of nutrients and exchange of electrons between the plant and the electrode. Therefore, the composite carbonized corncob anode could be coupled with the higher generation of bioelectricity within 35 working days.