Harvesting Energy from Redox Potential Gradients in Sediments and Soils

摘要

Pairs of platinum mesh or graphite fiber electrodes, one embedded in marine sediment (anode), the other in proximal seawater (cathode), have been used to harvest low levels of power from natural, microbe established, voltage gradients at marine sediment-seawater interfaces. The sustained power harvested has been on the order of 0.01 W/m(2) of electrode geometric area but is dependent on electrode design, sediment composition, and temperature. It is proposed that the sediment/anode - seawater/ cathode configuration constitutes a microbial fuel cell in which power results from the net oxidation of sediment organic matter by dissolved seawater oxygen.