Study of different carbon materials for their use as bioanodes in microbial fuel cells

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are capable of removing the organic matter contained in water while generating a certain amount of electrical power at the same time. One of the most important aspects in the operation of MFCs is the formation of biofilms on the anode. Here, we report the characterization of different carbon electrodes and biofilm using a rapid and easy methodology for the growth of biofilms. The biofilms were developed and generated a voltage in less than 4 days, obtaining a maximum of 0.3 V in the cells. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that growth of the biofilm was only on the surface of the electrode, and consequently both carbon cloth Electrochem and carbon cloth Roe materials showed a greater quantity of volatile solids on the surface of the anode and power density. The results suggested that the best support was carbon cloth Electrochem because it generated a power density of 13.4 mW/m2 and required only a few hours for the formation of the biofilm.

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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.

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Effect of Contacting Air Surface of Cathode on Microbial Fuel Cells

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.548-549.855 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 548-549 ◽

pp. 855-859

Author(s):

Chin Tsan Wang

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Power Density ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Driving Force ◽

Sewage Treatment ◽

Cod Removal ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

Power Performance ◽

Bacterial Oxidation ◽

Positive Effect

Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) produce electricity through the bacterial oxidation of organic matter contained in the sediment, but the power density is limited and needs to be improved. In this study, a new design of a fined-type cathode with carbon cloth embedded partly, as opposed to completely, in SMFCs were utilized. As a result, the design allowing the cathode to contact air will have a positive effect on the power performance and decrease the resistance of the inner system. The power density in the cases where the cathode was about half soaked was about two folds the case where it was soaked completely. Furthermore, SMFCs would also be seen as a driving force in hastening the COD removal because it was about 1.92-folds the COD removal of the cases where SMFCs where not present. These findings can be applied to sewage treatment and improving the power performance in SMFCs.

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Pengujian Sludge Battery Dengan Teknologi Microbial Fuel Cell Sebagai Sumber Energi Listrik Terbarukan

JURNAL AMPLIFIER : JURNAL ILMIAH BIDANG TEKNIK ELEKTRO DAN KOMPUTER ◽

10.33369/jamplifier.v8i2.15091 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 35-42

Author(s):

Ika Novia Anggraini ◽

Afriyastuti Herawati

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Electric Power ◽

Power Density ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electrical Power ◽

Electrical Energy ◽

Series System ◽

Single Vessel ◽

Sea Mud ◽

Marine Mud

ABSTRACTMicrobial Fuel Cells are devices which convert chemical energy into electrical energy through catalytic reactions by microorganisms. In this study, the potential of electricity in MFC will be analyzed by using samples of sea mud, lake mud, land mud, and river mud. While the method used in this study is one series connected vessel, two vessels connected series with mud-water, two mud-mud series vessels, and the stack series method. The highest electrical conductivity produced by river mud reaches 3.63 mS/cm, while the lowest is lake mud with a conductivity value of 0.35 mS/cm. The highest electric power density produced by river mud by the two mud-mud vessel method is 46.766 mW/m2, while the lowest electrical power density in lake mud is 18.040 mW/m2. The highest electrical power is produced by river mud through a single vessel series system with a maximum power of 7.26 mW, while the lowest power is found in marine mud with a system of two mud-water vessels which is equal to 0.30 mW. The pattern of increase in voltage or current produced by the battery sludge is on average until the 7th day, then a decrease occurs until the last day of testing. The greatest potential for electrical energy is obtained by river mud using a single vessel series system with a maximum voltage of 5.38 V and lasting up to 14 days.Keyword : electric power density, microbial fuel cells, sludge battery

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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.

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Enhanced Power Extraction with Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells by Anode Alternation

Fuels ◽

10.3390/fuels2020010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 168-178

Author(s):

Marzia Quaglio ◽

Daniyal Ahmed ◽

Giulia Massaglia ◽

Adriano Sacco ◽

Valentina Margaria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Energy Harvesting ◽

Power Density ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Average Power ◽

Power Extraction ◽

Harvesting Technique ◽

Harvesting Method ◽

Energy Harvesting Devices ◽

Efficient Power

Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are energy harvesting devices where the anode is buried inside marine sediment, while the cathode stays in an aerobic environment on the surface of the water. To apply this SCMFC as a power source, it is crucial to have an efficient power management system, leading to development of an effective energy harvesting technique suitable for such biological devices. In this work, we demonstrate an effective method to improve power extraction with SMFCs based on anodes alternation. We have altered the setup of a traditional SMFC to include two anodes working with the same cathode. This setup is compared with a traditional setup (control) and a setup that undergoes intermittent energy harvesting, establishing the improvement of energy collection using the anodes alternation technique. Control SMFC produced an average power density of 6.3 mW/m2 and SMFC operating intermittently produced 8.1 mW/m2. On the other hand, SMFC operating using the anodes alternation technique produced an average power density of 23.5 mW/m2. These results indicate the utility of the proposed anodes alternation method over both the control and intermittent energy harvesting techniques. The Anode Alternation can also be viewed as an advancement of the intermittent energy harvesting method.

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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.

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