Electrogenesis Under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions by <i>Priestia aryabhattai</i> AAS003 in Microbial Fuel Cell Treating Real Food‐Processing Wastewater

Abstract

The electrogenic performance of anaerobe‐tolerant Priestia aryabhattai AAS003 in dual‐chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) treating real food‐processing wastewater was comparatively evaluated under anaerobic and aerobic anode conditions. Both systems were operated for 10 days with 1 g/L inoculum in a closed circuit (1000 Ω). The aerobic MFC achieved a substantially higher maximum power density (59.5 ± 6.4 mW/m 2 at 315 ± 23 mA/m 2 ) than the anaerobic system (6.6 ± 0.9 mW/m 2 at 105 ± 14 mA/m 2 ), alongside improved Coulombic efficiency (54.9% ± 2.4% vs. 23.8% ± 1.3%) and comparable COD removal (∼27% vs. ∼21%). Electrochemical analyses, that is, cyclic voltammetry and EIS with equivalent circuit modeling, indicated enhanced charge transfer and biofilm electroactivity under aerobic conditions. Proton flux and oxygen crossover measurements further revealed efficient proton migration and partial oxygen diffusion, promoting biofilm stratification and synergistic aerobic respiration–extracellular electron transfer interactions. The findings highlight the capability of P . aryabhattai to sustain high electrogenic performance across redox regimes in complex wastewater systems.