Possibility of using a lithotrophic iron-oxidizing microbial fuel cell as a biosensor for detecting iron and manganese in water samples

Abstract

Iron-oxidizing bacterial consortia can be enriched in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) operated with ferrous iron as the sole electron donor. In this study, we investigated the possibility of using such lithotrophic iron-oxidizing MFC (LIO-MFC) systems as biosensors to monitor iron and manganese in water samples. When operated with anolytes containing only ferrous iron as the sole electron donor, the experimented LIO-MFCs generated electrical currents in response to the presence of Fe²⁺ in the anolytes. For the concentrations of Fe²⁺ in the range of 3–20 mM, a linear correlation between the current and the concentration of Fe²⁺ could be achieved (r² = 0.98). The LIO-MFCs also responded to the presence of Mn²⁺ in the anolytes but only when the Mn²⁺ concentration was less than 3 mM. The presence of other metal ions such as Ni²⁺ or Pb²⁺ in the anolytes reduced the Fe²⁺-associated electricity generation of the LIO-MFCs at various levels. Organic compounds, when present at a non-excessive level together with Fe²⁺ in the anolytes, did not affect the generation of electricity, although the compounds might serve as alternative electron donors for the anode bacteria. The performance of the LIO-MFCs was also affected to different degrees by operational parameters, including surrounding temperature, pH of the sample, buffer strength and external resistance. The results proved the potential of LIO-MFCs as biosensors sensing Fe²⁺ in water samples with a significant specificity. However, the operation of the system should be in compliance with an optimal procedure to ensure reliable performance.