Development of a sediment microbial fuel cell-based biosensor for simultaneous online monitoring of dissolved oxygen concentrations along various depths in lake water.

A novel multi-cathode, single-anode system integrating a sediment microbial fuel cell -based biosensor was developed for in-situ, continuous, and online monitoring of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations along various depths of lake water. The signal feedback mechanism was evaluated based on a relationship between voltage and DO concentration at corresponding depths. With an external resistance of 1000 Ω, a linear relationship was found (regression coefficient, R2 = 0.9576) between voltage and DO in the range of 0-9 mg L-1. The sensor performance was further optimized under various influence factors. The results of indoor experiments indicated that the optimal anode to single cathode area ratio was 11:1. The sensor signal could also be significantly influenced by organic matter content in sediment; thus, the addition of 5% organic matter could obtain a stable anode potential and a high voltage output. Furthermore, the sensor was operated in-situ for 67 days in a lake environment, which also led to a good correlation between the voltage and DO (R2 = 0.8897). Thus, this integrated system has great potential as an early-warning program to help identify environmental risks in aquatic environments.