An In Situ Evaluation of Different CAM Plants as Plant Microbial Fuel Cells for Energy Recovery in the Atacama Desert.

Excess energy derived from photosynthesis can be used in plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) systems as a sustainable alternative for the generation of electricity. In this study, the in situ performance of CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) plants in Calama, in the Atacama Desert, was evaluated for energy recovery using PMFCs with stainless steel AISI 316L and Cu as electrodes. The plant species evaluated included , , , , , and .