Maximum thickness of non-buffer limited electro-active biofilms decreases at higher anode potentials

The accumulation of protons in electro-active biofilms (EABfs) has been reported as a critical parameter determining produced currents at the anode since the very beginning of the studies on Bio-electrochemical systems (BESs). Even though the knowledge gained on the influence of this parameter on the produced currents, its influence on EABfs growth is frequently overlooked. In this study, we quantified EABfs thicknesses in real-time and related them to the produced current at three buffer concentrations, two anode potentials and two acetate concentrations. The thickest EABfs (80 μm) and higher produced currents (2.5 A.m-2) were measured when a 50 mM buffer concentration was used. By combining the measured EABfs thicknesses with the pH in the anolyte, a simple model was developed to identify buffer limitations. Buffer limited EABfs with thicknesses of 15 and 42 μm were identified at -0.3 V vs Ag/AgCl when 10 and 50 mM buffer concentrations were used, respectively. At -0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl, the thicknesses of buffer limited EABfs decreased to 13 and 20 μm, respectively. The model also estimated buffer and acetate diffusion rates in EABfs and allowed to determine the boundary between a buffer and acetate limited EABfs. The diffusion rates reported in this study and the definition of the boundary between buffer and acetate limited EABfs provide a powerful tool to avoid limitations, leading to higher produced currents at the anode.