Simulation of the mass transfer in anodic biofilm of a microbial fuel cell

The oxidative of soluble organics in the anodic room of microbial fuel cell is happened on the biofilm adhered onto the electrode. A steady-state one-dimensional mathematical model is presented to simulate the mass transfer in the anodic biofilm of a microbial fuel cell. The mass and charge conservation equation are solved by the finite volume method, and the influence of various parameters on power generation is considered, include porosity, bulk substrate concentration and electrical conductivity. Results show that the porous nature is a positive factor in the process of generating energy; the substrate concentration is the major factor to limit the electronics production when the bulk substrate concentration is low, but electrical conductivity instead when the bulk substrate concentration step up to a high level; The higher electrical conductivity reduced electron transfer resistance in the biofilm and also improved the electron generation at the region of the biofilm near the bulk substrate.