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Methane as a Substrate for Energy Generation Using Microbial Fuel Cells

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Abstract

Methane (CH4) is a well-known and abundant feedstock for natural gas, and is readily available from various sources. In thermal plants, the CH4 generated from anthropogenic sources is converted into electrical energy via combustion. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has proven to be an efficient strategy for the biological conversion of a many substrates, including biogas (CH4), to electricity. MFC technology uses gaseous substrate along with an enriched and selective microbial consortium. Predominantly, methanotrophs and electrochemically active Geobacter were utilized in a syntrophic association on the anode of an MFC. This review focuses on the exploitation of CH4 as a substrate for bioelectrogenesis via MFCs.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (NRF-2018H1D3A2001746, 2013M3A6A8073184). This work was supported by the Energy Efficiency & Resources Core Technology Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (20153030091450). This research was supported by 2017 KU Brain Pool of Konkuk University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-Dong, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea

    Sanath Kondaveeti, Jung-Kul Lee & Vipin C. Kalia

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, P O Box 2713, Doha, Qatar

    Gunda Mohanakrishna

Authors
  1. Sanath Kondaveeti
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  2. Gunda Mohanakrishna
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  3. Jung-Kul Lee
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  4. Vipin C. Kalia
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Correspondence to Jung-Kul Lee or Vipin C. Kalia.

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Kondaveeti, S., Mohanakrishna, G., Lee, JK. et al. Methane as a Substrate for Energy Generation Using Microbial Fuel Cells. Indian J Microbiol 59, 121–124 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-018-0765-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-018-0765-6

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