BioFacade Energy: A Prototype of Microalgae–Microbial Fuel Cell Living Façade Development
Sehyun Park, Lauren Lee, Jian Choi, Minsuh Kang, Minseoung Lee
North London Collegiate School Jeju, Seogwipo-si, South Korea
Busan Foreign School, Busan, South Korea
Tabor Academy, Marion, MA, USA
Suffield Academy, Suffield, CT, USA
Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju, Seogwipo-si, South Korea
Publication date: July 10, 2026
North London Collegiate School Jeju, Seogwipo-si, South Korea
Busan Foreign School, Busan, South Korea
Tabor Academy, Marion, MA, USA
Suffield Academy, Suffield, CT, USA
Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju, Seogwipo-si, South Korea
Publication date: July 10, 2026
DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/JIYRC2026I34
ABSTRACT
Urban buildings contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions and intensify local heat stress through solar absorption and inefficient façade performance. This study presents BioFacade Energy, a modular living-façade prototype that integrates microalgae photobioreactors, microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and real-time environmental sensing into a building-envelope concept for carbon capture, thermal regulation, and bioelectrochemical energy recovery. The system uses Chlorella vulgaris as the primary biological platform because of its resilience, compact cultivation profile, and suitability for engineered photobioreactor operation. The prototype architecture consists of a transparent acrylic frame, an algal culture chamber, an integrated dual-chamber MFC core, and sensor-based monitoring of pH, temperature, and electrical output. A prototype-based engineering design approach supported by literature and project documentation was used to evaluate the system’s feasibility and short-term operational stability. Over a 7-day monitoring period, electrical output remained stable between 1.20 and 1.23 V, while estimated prototype-scale CO₂ uptake remained between 0.41 and 0.43 g/day. These values indicate stable short-term prototype performance but should not be interpreted as validated building-scale power generation or carbon-capture capacity. Therefore, the present study should be understood as a design-feasibility and prototype architecture study. Future work should directly measure current, external resistance, power density, algal biomass growth, and CO₂ uptake to determine the system’s true environmental and energy-generation potential.
Urban buildings contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions and intensify local heat stress through solar absorption and inefficient façade performance. This study presents BioFacade Energy, a modular living-façade prototype that integrates microalgae photobioreactors, microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and real-time environmental sensing into a building-envelope concept for carbon capture, thermal regulation, and bioelectrochemical energy recovery. The system uses Chlorella vulgaris as the primary biological platform because of its resilience, compact cultivation profile, and suitability for engineered photobioreactor operation. The prototype architecture consists of a transparent acrylic frame, an algal culture chamber, an integrated dual-chamber MFC core, and sensor-based monitoring of pH, temperature, and electrical output. A prototype-based engineering design approach supported by literature and project documentation was used to evaluate the system’s feasibility and short-term operational stability. Over a 7-day monitoring period, electrical output remained stable between 1.20 and 1.23 V, while estimated prototype-scale CO₂ uptake remained between 0.41 and 0.43 g/day. These values indicate stable short-term prototype performance but should not be interpreted as validated building-scale power generation or carbon-capture capacity. Therefore, the present study should be understood as a design-feasibility and prototype architecture study. Future work should directly measure current, external resistance, power density, algal biomass growth, and CO₂ uptake to determine the system’s true environmental and energy-generation potential.
