Symbiosis of photosynthetic microorganisms with nonphotosynthetic ones for the conversion of cellulosic mass into electrical energy and pigments

In this article, we report a three-compartment microbial fuel cell (MFC) system for the simultaneous degradation of cellulose and production of natural pigments such as phycoerythrin and phycocyanin along with bioelectricity generation. Oscillatoria annae, a freshwater cyanobacterium, was used for the conversion of cellulose to reducing sugars, which were fed as a substrate to a coculture of Acetobacter aceti and Gluconobacter roseus for current generation in a three-compartment MFC. Carbon felt modified with a composite film containing chitosan and sodium alginate served as the MFC anode. The cellulose- fed three- compartment MFC produced a maximum power output of 6.62 W m(-3) at 17.55 A m (-3)