Rosen Ivanov
University of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski”, 1700 Sofia
Corresponding author: r.ivanov@mgu.bg
ABSTRACT. Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFC) based biosensors can be a simpler and cheaper alternative to traditional methods for monitoring and early warning of water pollution with heavy metals. However, to make the transition from the laboratory to application in the environment, more research is needed on the influence, durability, and cost-effectiveness of their constructive elements. In the present study, three types of SMFC-based biosensors were constructed – with stainless steel electrodes without a separator, with graphite electrodes without a separator, and with graphite electrodes and a bentonite separator placed in the sediment. The last variant showed the highest sensitivity to the investigated pollutants – copper, chromium, nickel and zinc, as well as the highest correlation coefficient R2 – over 0.99.
Key words: sediment microbial fuel cells, biosensor, real time monitoring, heavy metals
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58903/MPIG2659
References
Abbas, S. Z., Choi, S. H., Bruck, W. M., Samannan, B., Jang, J. K,. & Kim, T. (2026). Basswood-anode soil microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for self-sustained and wide-ranged heavy metal detection, Bioresource Technology, 444, 134013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2026.134013
Abbas, S., Wang, J., Wang, H., Wang, J., Wang, Y., & Yong, Y. (2022). Recent advances in soil microbial fuel cells based self-powered biosensor. Chemosphere, 303, 135036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135036
Azri, Y. M., Sadi, M., Tou, I., Mehareb, F., Berouaken, A., & Tebbouche, L. (2026). Development of an eco-friendly and cost-effective biosensor for monitoring dissolved oxygen based on a ceramic-sediment microbial fuel cell, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 81, 109312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.109312
Bose, D., Bhattacharya, R., Pillai, M., Ray, A., Kaur, T., Mondal, S., & Mondal, A. (2026). State-of-the-art review on sediment microbial fuel cells: evolution, innovations, challenges, scalability, and policy implications for sustainable development, Water-Energy Nexus, 9, 30–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wen.2025.12.005
Chauhan, N., Sah, N., Saxena, K., & Jain, U. (2025). A review on biosensor approaches for the detection of hazardous elements in water, Talanta Open, 12, 100536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2025.100536
Dai, Z., Yu, R., Zha, X., Xu, Z., Zhu, G., & Lu, X. (2021). On-line monitoring of minor oil spills in natural waters using sediment microbial fuel cell sensors equipped with vertical floating cathodes. Science of the Total Environment, 782, 146549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146549
Danhassan, U. A., Lin, H., Lawan, I., Zhang, X., Ali, M., Muhammad, A., & Sheng, K. (2023). Critical insight into sediment microbial fuel cell: Fundamentals, challenges, and perspectives as a barrier to black-odour water formation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 11, 109098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.109098
Li, C., Li, X., Li, T., Su, Y., Zhong, W., Han, C., Jiang, Y., & Deng, H. (2024). Sediment microbial fuel cell monitoring repeated Cr(VI) shocks in different wetlands for a year: Performance and mechanism, Journal of Cleaner Production, 452, 142147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142147
Liu, L., Lu, Y., Zhong, W., Meng, L., & Deng., H. (2020). On-line monitoring of repeated copper pollutions using sediment microbial fuel cell based sensors in the field environment, Science of the Total Environment, 748, 141544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141544
Nandy, A., Farkas, D., Pepio-Tarrega, B., Martinez-Crespiera, S., Borras, E., Avignone-Rossa, C., & Di Lorenzo, M. (2023). Influence of carbon-based cathodes on biofilm composition and electrochemical performance in soil microbial fuel cells. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 16, 100276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2023.100276
Simeon, M., & Freitag, R. (2022). Influence of electrode spacing and fed-batch operation on the maximum performance trend of a soil microbial fuel cell, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47, 12304-123016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.11.110
Song, N., & Jiang, H. (2018). Effects of initial sediment properties on start-up times for sediment microbial fuel cells, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 43, 10082-10093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.04.082
Sun, F., Chen, J., Tang, M., & Yang, Y. (2024). Recent research progress, challenges and future directions of sediment microbial fuel cell: A comprehensive review, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 50, 870-886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.09.112
Turker, O. C., & Yakar, A. (2025). Sediment-based microbial fuel cell sensor for detecting boron mine effluent pollution in aquatic habitats, Microchemical Journal, 218, 115355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2025.115355
Wang, C., & Jiang, H. (2019). Real-time monitoring of sediment bulking through a multi-anode sediment microbial fuel cell as reliable biosensor, Science of the Total Environment, 697, 134009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134009
Wang, G., Yu, M., Xie, K., Zhao, R., Fu, Y., & Chen, T. (2019). Graphene modified polyacrylonitrile fibre as high-performance cathode for marine sediment microbial fuel cells, Journal of Power Sources, 438, 227002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.227002
Wang, H., Ye, Y., Zhang, J., Ning, H., Xiang, Y., Song, X., Zhao, W., & Guo, F. (2023a). Power performance improvement in sediment microbial fuel cells: Recent advances and future challenges, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 48, 24426-24446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.03.291
Wang, S., Wang, J., Zhao, L., Abbas, S., Yang, Z., & Yong, Y., (2023b). Soil microbial fuel cell based self-powered cathodic biosensor for sensitive detection of heavy metals, Biosensors, 13, 145. https://doi.org/10.3390/ bios13010145
Zhao, S., Liu, P., Niu, Y., Chen, Z., Khan, A., Zhang, P., & Li, X. (2018). A novel early warning system based on a sediment microbial fuel cell for in situ and real time hexavalent chromium detection in industrial wastewater, Sensors, 18, 642. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18020642