Comparative analysis of power production of pure, coculture, and mixed culture in a microbial fuel cell

In the present work, a comparative analysis of the power production of pure culture, coculture, and mixed culture in a dual-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) was performed. Bacillus thuringiensis DRR-1 and Paracoccus homiensis DRR-3 produced 180 mV and 300 mV, respectively, as pure cultures. However, when the two bacteria are inoculated in an equal proportion in the same MFC, they gave 300 mV and 0.010 mA. The cyclic voltammograms (CVs) obtained for both the pure culture and coculture supported the I–V graphs and confirmed the electrochemical activity of the microbes. The combination of the five bacterial strains in a single MFC yielded a significant amount of voltage (500 mV).