Sustainable Bio-Energy Production in Microbial Fuel Cell Using MnO2 Nanoparticle-Decorated Hollow Carbon Nanofibers as Active Cathode Materials

The widespread use of renewable energy remains a challenging and complex multidisciplinary problem. Developing alternatives using new technology such as nanotechnology is necessary to increase renewable energy’s scalability. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) combined with nanotechnology can improve bioelectricity generation during wastewater treatment. In this study, hollow carbon nanofibers (H-CNF) were decorated with manganese oxide (MnO2) via a simple chemical reduction method. MnO2-decorated H-CNF prepared with varying concentrations of manganese precursor (MnO2@H-CNF) were characterized via different spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The cathode catalyst performance of the MnO2@H-CNF was investigated in an //-type constructed MFC system using Shewanella Oneidensis MR1. The MnO2@H-CNF-1 in the assembled MFC displayed excellent power density of 25.7 mW/m2, which is higher than pure H-CNF (8.66 mW/m2), carbon cloth (5.10 mW/m2), and MnO2@H-CNF-3 (16 mW/m2). The maximum power generated in the MFC coupled with MnO2@H-CNF as a cathode catalyst may have been due to the synergistic effect of the MnO2@H-CNF, which increased the electric conductivity and catalytic activity in the MFC’s cathode chamber. These results demonstrate that the developed MnO2@H-CNF cathode catalyst could improve the MFC’s performance and reduce the operational costs of practical applications.

Download Full-text

Using Shewanella Oneidensis MR1 as a Biocatalyst in a Microscale Microbial Fuel Cell

ASME 2013 11th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology ◽

10.1115/fuelcell2013-18373 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Jie Yang ◽

Sasan Ghobadian ◽

Reza Montazami ◽

Nastaran Hashemi

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Fuel Cells ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Power Density ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Shewanella Oneidensis ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

Anode Chamber

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is a promising area in the field of renewable energy because of their capability to use the energy contained in wastewater, which has been previously an untapped source of power. Microscale MFCs are desirable for their small footprints, relatively high power density, fast start-up, and environmentally-friendly process. Microbial fuel cells employ microorganisms as the biocatalysts instead of metal catalysts, which are widely applied in conventional fuel cells. MFCs are capable of generating electricity as long as nutrition is provided. Miniature MFCs have faster power generation recovery than macroscale MFCs. Additionally, since power generation density is affected by the surface-to-volume ratio, miniature MFCs can facilitate higher power density. We have designed and fabricated a microscale microbial fuel cell with a volume of 4 μL in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chamber. The anode and cathode chambers were separated by a proton exchange membrane. Carbon cloth was used for both the anode and the cathode. Shewanella Oneidensis MR-1 was chosen to be the electrogenic bacteria and was inoculated into the anode chamber. We employed Ferricyanide as the catholyte and introduced it into the cathode chamber with a constant flow rate of approximately 50 μL/hr. We used trypticase soy broth as the bacterial nutrition and added it into the anode chamber approximately every 15 hours once current dropped to base current. Using our miniature MFC, we were able to generate a maximum current of 4.62 μA.

Download Full-text

Three-dimensional graphene/Pt nanoparticle composites as freestanding anode for enhancing performance of microbial fuel cells

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.1500372 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (10) ◽

pp. e1500372 ◽

Cited By ~ 124

Author(s):

Shenlong Zhao ◽

Yuchen Li ◽

Huajie Yin ◽

Zhouzhou Liu ◽

Enxiao Luan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Power Density ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Shewanella Oneidensis ◽

Superior Performance ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

The Real ◽

3D Graphene ◽

Real Application

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are able to directly convert about 50 to 90% of energy from oxidation of organic matters in waste to electricity and have great potential application in broad fields such as wastewater treatment. Unfortunately, the power density of the MFCs at present is significantly lower than the theoretical value because of technical limitations including low bacteria loading capacity and difficult electron transfer between the bacteria and the electrode. We reported a three-dimensional (3D) graphene aerogel (GA) decorated with platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) as an efficient freestanding anode for MFCs. The 3D GA/Pt–based anode has a continuous 3D macroporous structure that is favorable for microorganism immobilization and efficient electrolyte transport. Moreover, GA scaffold is homogenously decorated with Pt NPs to further enhance extracellular charge transfer between the bacteria and the anode. The MFCs constructed with 3D GA/Pt–based anode generate a remarkable maximum power density of 1460 mW/m2, 5.3 times higher than that based on carbon cloth (273 mW/m2). It deserves to be stressed that 1460 mW/m2 obtained from the GA/Pt anode shows the superior performance among all the reported MFCs inoculated with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Moreover, as a demonstration of the real application, the MFC equipped with the freestanding GA/Pt anode has been successfully applied in driving timer for the first time, which opens the avenue toward the real application of the MFCs.

Download Full-text

Two-dimensional graphene-like MoSe2 nanosheets anchored on hollow carbon nanofibers as a cathode catalyst for rechargeable Li–O2 batteries

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c5ra27634a ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (24) ◽

pp. 19843-19847 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Yanqing Lai ◽

Wei Chen ◽

Zhian Zhang ◽

Yongqing Gan ◽

Xing Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Catalytic Activity ◽

Carbon Nanofibers ◽

Active Sites ◽

Electronic Conductivity ◽

Cathode Catalyst ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Catalytic Active Sites ◽

Hollow Carbon

MoSe2@HCNF hybrids are used as the catalyst of Li–O2 batteries and exhibit superior catalytic activity. The more catalytic active sites and the enhanced electronic conductivity make the MoSe2@HCNF hybrids exhibit improved catalytic activity.

Download Full-text

Effect of Two Anodic Materials and RuxMoySez as a Cathode Catalyst on the Performance of Two Singlw Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells

Journal of New Materials for Electrochemical Systems ◽

10.14447/jnmes.v16i3.6 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 163-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

A.L. Vázquez-Larios ◽

O. Solorza-Feria ◽

R. de G. González-Huerta ◽

M.T. Ponce-Noyola ◽

J. Barrera-Cortés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Oxygen Reduction Reaction ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Reduction Reaction ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

Cathode Catalyst ◽

Anodic Chamber ◽

Left And Right ◽

The Cost ◽

Cathodic Catalyst

The objectives of this work were to evaluate (i) the application of a bimetallic chalcogenide, RuxMoySez, as an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst and (ii) the effect of the type of two anodic materials on the performance of two microbial fuel cells (MFCs). A single chamber MFC-T was built with a plexiglass cylinder, the two extreme circular faces were fitted with PEM-cathode assemblage, i.e., left and right faces. The anode consisted of 65 small triangular pieces of graphite filling the anodic chamber. A second MFC-C had a ‘sandwich’ arrangement anode-PEM-cathode. The cathodes were made of ?exible carbon-cloth containing catalysts loading of 1mg/cm2 RuxMoySez or 0.5mg/cm2 Pt. Power derived by cell T with cathode chalcogenide catalyst was 43% inferior to that of a similar cell with Pt although the cost of the first catalyst is significantly lower than that of Pt, i.e., 73% lower. Finally, application of graphite anode made of small triangular pieces significantly improved the performance of a MFC-T that used RuxMoySez as a cathodic catalyst for ORR.

Download Full-text

The high enrichment of Geobacter by TiN nanoarray anode catalyst for efficient microbial fuel cells

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/d0ta11788a ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 7726-7735

Author(s):

Da Liu ◽

Weicheng Huang ◽

Qinghuan Chang ◽

Lu Zhang ◽

Ruiwen Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Hierarchical Structure ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Dft Calculation ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

Anode Catalyst ◽

High Enrichment

TiN nanoarrays, in situ grown on carbon cloth gather 97.2% of the model exoelectrogen Geobacter, greatly enhancing the MFCs' performance. The experimental results and DFT calculation certify the importance of the micro–nano-hierarchical structure.

Download Full-text

Highly active Fe7S8 encapsulated in N-doped hollow carbon nanofibers for high-rate sodium-ion batteries

Journal of Energy Chemistry ◽

10.1016/j.jechem.2020.05.011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 26-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chengzhi Zhang ◽

Donghai Wei ◽

Fei Wang ◽

Guanhua Zhang ◽

Junfei Duan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanofibers ◽

Sodium Ion ◽

High Rate ◽

Sodium Ion Batteries ◽

Highly Active ◽

Hollow Carbon

Download Full-text

Carbon Nanotube/Pt Cathode Nanocomposite Electrode in Microbial Fuel Cells for Wastewater Treatment and Bioenergy Production

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13148057 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 8057

Author(s):

Mostafa Ghasemi ◽

Mehdi Sedighi ◽

Yie Hua Tan

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Power Generation ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Carbon Nanotube ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Energy Production ◽

Catalytic Properties ◽

Internal Resistance ◽

Cod Removal ◽

Cathode Catalyst

In this paper, we reported the fabrication, characterization, and application of carbon nanotube (CNT)-platinum nanocomposite as a novel generation of cathode catalyst in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for sustainable energy production and wastewater treatment. The efficiency of the carbon nanocomposites was compared by platinum (Pt), which is the most effective and common cathode catalyst. This nanocomposite is utilized to benefit from the catalytic properties of CNTs and reduce the amount of required Pt, as it is an expensive catalyst. The CNT/Pt nanocomposites were synthesized via a chemical reduction technique and the electrodes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, electronic dispersive X-Ray analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The nanocomposites were applied as cathode catalysts in the MFC to obtain polarization curve and coulombic efficiency (CE) results. The catalytic properties of electrodes were tested by linear sweep voltammetry. The CNT/Pt at the concentration of 0.3 mg/cm2 had the highest performance in terms of CE (47.16%), internal resistance (551 Ω), COD removal (88.9%), and power generation (143 mW/m2). In contrast, for the electrode with 0.5 mg/L of Pt catalyst, CE, internal resistance, COD removal, and power generation were 19%, 810 Ω, 96%, and 84.1 mW/m2, respectively. So, it has been found that carbon nanocomposite cathode electrodes had better performance for sustainable clean energy production and COD removal by MFC.

Download Full-text