E Yu Konovalova¹ , N N Khorina² , M N Saksonov¹ , D I Stom^1,2,3, M Yu Tolstoy³

¹ Irkutsk State University, 1, st. Karl Marx, Irkutsk, 664003, Russia

² Baikal Museum of the ISC, 1A, Akademicheskaya Street, Listvyanka, 664520, Russia

³ Irkutsk National Research Technical University, 83, Lermontov Street, Irkutsk, 664074, Russia

Abstract

The electrogenic activity of many microorganisms used in MFC is due to direct electron transfer. It is achieved by direct contact of microbial cells with an electrode. In this regard, an important aspect of research in the field of MFC is the study of the interaction of electrogenic microorganisms with electrode materials. In this work, the influence of polarization of carbon fiber from an external source of electrical energy on the intensity of sorption on it of cells of the electrogenic strain Micrococcus luteus 1-i is considered. It was shown that the polarization of carbon fiber 0.6-0.8 V positively influenced the sorption of cells of the electrogenic strain M. luteus 1-i, and 0.4-0.6 V positively influenced the increase in the number of cells of the strain. The preliminary application of a voltage of 0.6 V to the MFC anode for 2 h led to an increase in the current generated by the M. luteus strain 1 within a 24- hour experiment. The obtained positive effect demonstrates the possibility of using this approach to increase the efficiency of the MFC technology.