Conclusions
The present study indicated that local algal strains were good candidates for utilization in BPV platforms in future.
According to our screening results, all eight strains were able to form biofilms on ITO anode surfaces with good photosynthetic performance.
From this, four strains were selected for the BPV studies, based on their high photosynthetic performance and ability to produce biofilms.
The Chlorophytes Chlorella species (UMACC 051, UMACC 313) and the Cyanophytes, Spirulina platensis (UMACC 159) and
Synechococcus elongatus (UMACC 105), demonstrated exoelectrogenic activity and showed their capacity to produce significant electrical power outputs without the requirement of additional organic fuel.
More work is required to further understand the mechanisms of harnessing light energy and converting them to electricity as well as to investigate the correlation between PAM data and the BPV power output.