# Enhanced voltage generation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using bacterial isolates from seawater and industrial wastewater

## TL;DR

This study explores how bacteria from seawater and wastewater can generate electricity in microbial fuel cells, offering a sustainable energy solution.

## Contribution

The study identifies and optimizes electrogenic bacteria from diverse sources to enhance bioelectricity generation in microbial fuel cells.

## Key findings

- Four electrogenic bacterial isolates were identified and shown to generate voltages between 0.175 V and 0.542 V.
- Statistical optimization using Plackett–Burman Design revealed key factors influencing voltage production with high predictive accuracy (R² ≥ 0.98).
- The results highlight the potential of MFCs for simultaneous wastewater treatment and renewable energy production.

## Abstract

This study investigates the potential of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for bioelectricity generation from seawater and wastewater sources. It focuses on the isolation, identification, and statistical optimization of electrogenic bacteria from diverse environmental samples, aiming to enhance sustainable production of bioenergy.

Four bacterial isolates were obtained from Max surface water, oil factory wastewater, Abu-Qir bottom sediment, and fish factory wastewater. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing identified these isolates as Stenotrophomonas sp. strain S2 (El-Max), Bacillus paralicheniformis strain O3 (Oil factory), Bacillus safensis strain QB (Abu-Qir), and Serratia sp.strain GH3 (Fish factory). Initial screening of microbial consortia showed promising bioelectricity generation, with voltage outputs ranging from 0.175 V to 0.542 V crosswise isolates. Statistical method using Plackett–Burman Design (PBD) screened the key factors influencing voltage production, including pH, time, oxygen, inoculum size, mediator, and resistance. Each isolate exhibited a distinct pattern of factor significance, yet the models for the four strains demonstrated excellent predictive power with R² values near 0.98 or higher.

These results underscore the strong potential of specific electrogenic bacterial strains, isolated from diverse wastewater sources, to enhance bioelectricity production in Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs). The identification of critical operational parameters provides valuable insights for optimizing MFC performance. Together, these findings demonstrate the viability of MFCs as an effective dual-purpose technology for wastewater treatment and renewable energy production.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-025-02892-w.