When operating microbial fuel cells (MFC), the anode material is one of the crucial factors because it is directly related to the electron transfer from the bacteria to the anode.   Carbonaceous materials are extensively employed for anode respiring bacteria (ARB)   immobilization on the anode due to their favourable properties. Among other factors, maintaining a constant anode potential can also play a vital role in reducing startup time and stimulating an electroactive biofilm formation. However, studies on the effect of poised anode potential on MFC performance have been inconclusive.
In this context, we have conducted experiments using different anode materials and applying a fixed anode potential of +200mV to corroborate the hypothesis that poised potential during the startup phase will enhance the enrichment of electrochemically active consortia on the anode and therefore improving the overall performance of MFC. The same set of experiments were performed employing various anode materials (carbon brush, carbon granules and three different types of carbon felt) using an external resistance to close the circuit.
During the inoculation period, the startup time was slightly reduced for each anode when the anode potential was poised at +200mV, resulting from the increase of the driving force of substrate oxidation. Using thick carbon felt as anode, the MFC with anodic poised potential needed 33 days to get a similar current output, which was 12 days faster than that of the MFC operated without fixed anode potential, showing that applied potential could increase anodic microbiota's electrochemical activity. With carbon felt CNH2 and thick carbon felt, a higher current was observed for the anode enriched at a +200mV potential, compared to that enriched without fixed anode potential. Out of five anode materials studies, the carbon brush electrode yielded the highest maximum current output amounting up to 7 mA.

In When  designing/operating microbial fuel cells (MFC), the anode material is considered one of the crucial factors because it is directly related to the electron transfer from the bacteria to the anode.  [13].  Carbonaceous materials are extensively employed for anode respiring bacteria (ARB)   immobilization immobilization on the anode due to their favourable properties. Among other factors, fixed maintaining a constant anode potential can also play a vital role in reducing startup time and stimulating an electroactive biofilm formation. However, studies on the effect of poised anode potential on MFC performance have been inconclusive.
In this context, we have conducted experiments using different anode materials and applying a fixed anode potential of +200mV to corroborate the hypothesis that poised potential during the startup phase will enhance the enrichment of electrochemically active consortia on the anode and therefore improving the overall performance of MFC. The same set of experiments were performed employing various anode materials (carbon brush, , thick carbon felt, carbon felt PP , carbon felt CNH2  and  granular carbon granules and three different types of carbon felt) using an external resistance to close the circuit. without fixed anode potential.
During the inoculation period, the startup time was slightly reduced for each anode when the anode potential was poised at +200mV, resulting from the increase of the driving force of substrate oxidation. Using thick carbon felt as anode, the MFC with anodic poised potential needed 33 days to get a similar current output, to what?, which was 12 days faster than that of the MFC operated without fixed anode potential, showing that applied potential could increase anodic microbiota's electrochemical activity. With carbon felt CNH2 and thick carbon felt, a higher current was observed for the anode enriched at a +200mV potential, compared to that enriched without fixed anode potential. Out of five anode materials studies, the carbon brush electrode yielded the highest maximum current output amounting up to 7 mA.