Constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells (CW-MFCs) systems are a sustainable technology capable of producing bioelectricity and treating wastewater simultaneously. It is also possible to obtain bioelectricity from the photosynthetic substrates obtained by the rhizodeposition of macrophytes, where the electroactive microorganisms present in the rhizosphere use these compounds as biofuel. In the present study, the bioelectricity production capacity of Juncus effusus and Philodendron cordatum species was evaluated in a CW-MFC without an external carbon source. The Juncus effusus species showed a higher bioelectrochemical performance, as they recorded a maximum voltage of 399 mV, a power density of 63.7 mW/m2, a volumetric power density of 15.9 W/m3, an internal resistance of 200 Ω, an anodic potential of -368 mV, and a cathodic potential of 229 mV. In addition, different types of carbohydrates in the form of sugars (sucrose, fructose, galactose, and glucose) were quantified by liquid chromatography, with concentrations of 100-450 μg/L. Chromatographic analysis were performed from the root exudates released in the effluent of both species of macrophyte. Sucrose and glucose were the types of sugars that produced the largest amount with portions of up to 35% and 24%, respectively. Sugars are compounds that worked as electron donors for the production of bioelectricity by using endogenous substrates that fed the anodic biofilm. Consumption was 45-55% for sucrose and 40-65% for glucose. Of the different macrophytes evaluated in the CW-MFCs, it was observed that the production of bioelectricity differs mainly due to the quantity of the root exudates released in the rhizosphere.
Keywords: Constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells; bioelectricity; rhizodeposition; root exudates; sugars.