Schröder Uwe
Institut für Biochemie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität, Felix-Hausdorff-Strasse 4, Greifswald, Germany.
Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2007 Jun 7;9(21):2619-29. doi: 10.1039/b703627m. Epub 2007 May 9.
The performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) depends on a complex system of parameters. Apart from technical variables like the anode or fuel cell design, it is mainly the paths and mechanisms of the bioelectrochemical energy conversion that decisively determine the MFC power and energy output. Here, the electron transfer from the microbial cell to the fuel cell anode, as a process that links microbiology and electrochemistry, represents a key factor that defines the theoretical limits of the energy conversion. The determination of the energy efficiency of the electron transfer reactions, based on the biological standard potentials of the involved redox species in combination with the known paths (and stoichiometry) of the underlying microbial metabolism, is an important instrument for this discussion. Against the sometimes confusing classifications of MFCs in literature it is demonstrated that the anodic electron transfer is always based on one and the same background: the exploitation of the necessity of every living cell to dispose the electrons liberated during oxidative substrate degradation.
微生物燃料电池（MFC）的性能取决于一个复杂的参数系统。除了诸如阳极或燃料电池设计等技术变量外，生物电化学能量转换的途径和机制才是决定性地决定MFC功率和能量输出的主要因素。在这里，从微生物细胞到燃料电池阳极的电子转移，作为一个连接微生物学和电化学的过程，是定义能量转换理论极限的一个关键因素。基于所涉及的氧化还原物种的生物学标准电位，并结合潜在微生物代谢的已知途径（和化学计量）来确定电子转移反应的能量效率，是进行这一讨论的重要工具。针对文献中有时令人困惑的MFC分类，本文证明阳极电子转移始终基于同一个背景：即利用每个活细胞处理氧化底物降解过程中释放的电子的必要性。
