RELATION BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND THE BIOELECTROCHEMICAL FUEL-CELL RESPONSE

The response of a depolarization type biofuel-cell is studied using several microbiological species in different physiological states as anolyte. The results allow us to put electrochemical parameters (current, anodic overpotential and power output) as explicit functions of biological variables (generation time, sustrate consumption rate and affinity). A linear function can be experimentally and theoretically derived between anodic overpotential and logarithm of sustrate and microorganism concentration. On the other hand the logarithm of current intensity shows a linear relation with time, its slope depending on the physiological state of the biological system. Similar expressions for potential and power output of the biocell are proposed as a function of the same variables. The improvement of this type of electrochemical device efficiency is possible according to these relations. © 1979.