What You Need to Know
In an MFC, anaerobic bacteria oxidize organic matter from food waste, releasing electrons that migrate to the anode and travel through an external circuit to the cathode. The electrons reduce a terminal electron acceptor (often oxygen or ferric iron) while protons diffuse across a membrane, completing the circuit and generating electrical current. The process is driven by the redox potential difference between the microbial oxidation and the cathodic reduction reactions.
The Science
Primary Reaction
CH2O + H+ + e- → CO2 + H2O (anaerobic oxidation of organics)