Biological fuel cells and their applications

Abstract

One type of genuine fuel cell that does hold promise in
\nthe long-term is the biological fuel cell. Unlike conventional
\nfuel cells, which employ hydrogen, ethanol and
\nmethanol as fuel, biological fuel cells use organic products
\nproduced by metabolic processes or use organic
\nelectron donors utilized in the growth processes as fuels
\nfor current generation. A distinctive feature of biological
\nfuel cells is that the electrode reactions are
\ncontrolled by biocatalysts, i.e. the biological redoxreactions
\nare enzymatically driven, while in chemical
\nfuel cells catalysts such as platinum determine the
\nelectrode kinetics. This article provides a brief introduction
\nto biological fuel cells along with their envisaged
\napplications.