Sediment-based microbial fuel cell sensor for detecting boron mine effluent pollution in aquatic habitats

The effluent from boron (B) mines poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems, necessitating ongoing monitoring of B pollution. Conventional monitoring techniques necessitate expensive chemicals, equipment, and intricate procedures. This experiment involved the design of a sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) as a cost-effective, user-friendly, and self-sustaining early warning sensor for detecting B mine effluent pollution in aquatic ecosystems. The main operational principle of the SMFC-based sensor relies on the attenuation of the electrical signal caused by the suppression of bacterial metabolic activity due to B mine effluent. This sensor is integrated with an innovative power management system that signals B mine pollution via LED illumination. Statistical analysis indicated that the SMFC sensor effectively detected B mine effluent pollution at concentrations below 250 mg/L. The maximum bioremediation rate for B was 31 %, meaning that it was retained on the anode surface of the sensors and influenced bacterial metabolism, thereby producing voltage signals for the SMFC sensor. The abundance of microbes varied with concentrated B mine effluent, with Acinetobacter being the predominant bacterial genus in the sensor matrix. This research utilizes B pollution detection and introduces a novel methodology for the advancement of environmental sensors.