Comparative Electricity Generation by Two Locally Produced Corncob Pyrochar Electrodes and Graphite using Microbial Fuel Cell Technology

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an evolving technology for anaerobic bioenergy generation using electrodes and organic wastewater as a feedstock for catabolic activities of electrogenic bacteria and subsequent electricity generation. The search for suitable inexpensive electrode materials remains the leading interest of researchers in this field. The work here focused on comparative bioelectricity generation from HTC process water (pH = 5.99) and treated–biogas digestate (pH = 7.97) using locally developed corncob pyrochar electrodes and graphite in dual-chambered microbial fuel cells (MFC). The electrodes used in this study were graphite rod (non-porous and very low surface area), KOH–activated corncob pyrochar (KAC) of BET surface area, 1626 m2 g-1 and steam activated corncob pyrochar (SAC) with 485.8 m2 g-1. The highest power outputs achieved were 323.8 µW and 316.8 µW from HTC process water with SAC and KAC electrodes respectively at an external load of 47 Ω. The initial COD (48780 mg L-1), DOC (4000 mg L-1), and TNb (5600 mg L-1) of the biogas digestate decreased significantly to 36405, 3610 and 4300 mg L-1 respectively in the MFC with KOH-activated corncob pyrochar electrodes. The MFC operated with KAC electrode and treated biogas digestate was the most efficient having Coulombic efficiency of 75 % in a comparatively shorter residence time of MFC operation than the MFC with SAC electrode which had a lower Coulombic efficiency of 64 %.

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Effect of Anode with Pretreatment on the Electricity Generation of a Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.156-157.742 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 156-157 ◽

pp. 742-746 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yu Lan Tang ◽

Xiao Wei Bi ◽

Hong Sun ◽

Jin Xiang Fu ◽

Man Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Carbon Fiber ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Coulombic Efficiency ◽

Electronic Media ◽

Air Cathode ◽

Single Chamber ◽

Anode Modification

Electricity can be generated during the wastewater treatment by microbial fuel cell (MFC). Effect of the anode pretreatment method, anode modification and electronic media in anolyte on electricity generation of a single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) with an air cathode was investigated by performance measurement of the MFC during one cycle of generating electricity. Results show that the discharge time of MFCs with stainless steel anode pretreated by NH4Cl and HCl is longer than that with anode pretreated by the distilled water and NaOH; the performance of MFC with anode pretreated by NH4Cl is the best; comparison with stainless steel anode and adhere activated carbon, the current of MFC with the stainless steel anode adhere the carbon fiber is the maximum and its Coulombic efficiency is the highest; The electricity generation characteristics of the MFC with the anode adhered carbon fiber and pretreated by NH4Cl and the anolyte added the electronic media is the best. The action of the electronic medium and the NH4Cl on the MFC is synergism. It's of great significance that the research results improve the performance of MFC by anode pretreatment.

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Simultaneous Electricity Generation and Electrochemical Decolorization of Azo Dyes in Microbial Fuel Cells

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.291-294.602 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 291-294 ◽

pp. 602-605 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liang Liu ◽

Wen Yi Zhang

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Methyl Orange ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Azo Dyes ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Azo Dye ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Sulfanilic Acid ◽

Maximum Power Density ◽

K Value

In this study we investigated the use of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) to abioticlly cathodic decolorization of a model azo dye, Methyl Orange (MO). Experimental results showed that electricity could be continuously generated the MO-fed MFC and MO was successfully decolorized in the cathode. The decolorization rate was highly dependent on the catholyte pH. When pH was varied from 3.0 to 9.0, the k value in relation to MO degradation decreased from 0.298 to 0.016 μmol min-1, and the maximum power density decreased from 34.77 to 1.51 mW m-2. Sulfanilic acid and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine were identified as the decolorization products of MO by HPLC-MS.

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Multi-walled carbon nanotubes as electrode material for microbial fuel cells

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2012.956 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 65 (7) ◽

pp. 1208-1214 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

N. Thepsuparungsikul ◽

N. Phonthamachai ◽

H. Y. Ng

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Surface Area ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Innovative Technology ◽

Carbon Paper ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a novel and innovative technology that could allow direct harvesting of energy from wastewater through microbial activity with simultaneous oxidation of organic matter in wastewater. Among all MFC parts, electrode materials play a crucial role in electricity generation. A variety of electrode materials have been used, including plain graphite, carbon paper and carbon cloth. However, these electrode materials generated only limited electricity or power. Recently, many research studies have been conducted on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) because of their unique physical and chemical properties that include high conductivity, high surface area, corrosion resistance, and electrochemical stability. These properties make them extremely attractive for fabricating electrodes and catalyst supports. In this study, CNT-based electrodes had been developed to improve MFC performance in terms of electricity generation and treatment efficiency. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with carboxyl groups have been employed to fabricate electrodes for single-chamber air-cathode MFCs. The quality of the prepared MWCNTs-based electrodes was evaluated by morphology, electrical conductivity and specific surface area using a field emission scanning electron microscope, four-probe method and Brunauer–Emmerr–Teller method, respectively. The performance of MFCs equipped with MWCNT-based electrodes was evaluated by chemical analysis and electrical monitoring and calculation. In addition, the performance of these MFCs, using MWCNTs as electrodes, was compared against that using commercial carbon cloth.

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Electricity Generation from Crystal Violet Using a Single-Chambered Microbial Fuel Cell Inoculated Aeromonas hydrophila YC 57

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.860-863.466 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 860-863 ◽

pp. 466-471

Author(s):

Chiu Yu Cheng ◽

Fang Yu Liang ◽

Ying Chien Chung

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Crystal Violet ◽

Aeromonas Hydrophila ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Coulombic Efficiency ◽

Textile Wastewater ◽

Cyclic Voltammogram ◽

High Power Output ◽

First Time

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) provides a new opportunity for the sustainable production of energy from the textile wastewater. However, limited studies revealed the high electricity generation using a single-chambered MFC in treating crystal violet (CV) containing wastewater. This study isolated an exoelectrogen Aeromonas hydrophila YC 57, inoculated to a single-chambered MFC and intended to achieve a high power output. The results showed that the removal efficiency of CV and coulombic efficiency of MFC by A. hydrophila YC 57 were achieved at 82.5±0.7% and 57.2±0.5% at initial CV concentration of 100 mg/L, respectively. The maximum power generation of MFC was 240±5.6 mW/m2. Results of cyclic voltammogram hinted the intermediate products of CV dye played roles of mediators. Toxicity studies revealed that metabolites of CV produced by A. hydrophila YC 57 were nontoxic. To our knowledge, this is the first time to demonstrate the electricity characteristics of a single-chambered MFC inoculated A. hydrophila YC 57.

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Electricity Generation from Dairy Farm Wastes in a Dual-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell using Aluminium Electrodes

International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering - 2 ◽

10.35940/ijrte.d8086.038620 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 3345-3449

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Output Voltage ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

Cattle Manure ◽

Cow Urine ◽

Stabilization Period

Microbial fuel cells play a key role in generating wealth out of waste as they serve the binary purpose of electricity production along with waste treatment. A variety of organic substances can be used as substrates in microbial fuel cells. In this work, three substrates naturally obtained as dairy farm waste, viz. cattle manure, yogurt waste, and cow urine along with their various combinations were tested for power generation in a microbial fuel cell. All three substrates are a promising source of electrogenic bacteria. The potential use of aluminium as electrode material for electricity generation in microbial fuel cell was also investigated. The output circuit voltage was recorded at regular time intervals over a period of around 15-25 days. Maximum output voltage of 1.170 V was recorded for cattle manure as substrate on graphite electrode with a stabilization period of 16 days. The combination of cattle manure and yogurt waste on aluminium electrode gave peak output voltage of 1.122 V with a stabilization period of 10 days. The addition of cow urine did not show any significant increase in the output.

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Assessing the factors influencing the performance of constructed wetland–microbial fuel cell integration

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 631-643 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Huang Jingyu ◽

Nicholas Miwornunyuie ◽

David Ewusi-Mensah ◽

Desmond Ato Koomson

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Constructed Wetland ◽

Retention Time ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Hydraulic Retention Time ◽

Wetland Plants ◽

Wide Range

Abstract Constructed wetland coupled microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) systems integrate an aerobic zone and an anaerobic zone to treat wastewater and to generate bioenergy. The concept evolves based on the principles of constructed wetlands and plant MFC (one form of photosynthetic MFC) technologies, of which all contain plants. CW-MFC have been used in a wide range of application since their introduction in 2012 for wastewater treatment and electricity generation. However, there are few reports on the individual components and their performance on CW-MFC efficiency. The performance and efficiency of this technology are significantly influenced by several factors such as the organic load and sewage composition, hydraulic retention time, cathode dissolved oxygen, electrode materials and wetland plants. This paper reviews the influence of the macrophyte (wetland plants) component, substrate material, microorganisms, electrode material and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on CW-MFC performance in wastewater treatment and electricity generation. The study assesses the relationship between these parameters and discusses progress in the development of this integrated system to date.

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Bioelectricity Production through Microbial Fuel Cell: Sustainable Energy Source

International Journal for Modern Trends in Science and Technology - RTT2020 ◽

10.46501/ijmtst060912 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 06 (09) ◽

pp. 73-76

Author(s):

Kumar Gaurav

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Cathode Materials ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Sustainable Energy ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Waste Water Treatment ◽

Electrical Energy ◽

Materials Used

Current world is facing the twin crisis of energy security due to depletion of non renewable energy sources and climate change caused by green house effect. This has led the researchers to think for various alternatives for sustainable energy production. Fuel cell technology has emerged as one of the potential options for generating clean and efficient energy. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device for the conversion of chemical energy stored in organic compounds into electrical energy with the help of different microorganisms. For practical application of MFC, the main factors that are considered are efficiency and low costs. Efficiency of MFC is dependent on the effectiveness of the anode and cathode materials used in the fuel cell. In this review paper, various developments in electrode materials for microbial fuel cells (MFC) are discussed. Various modifications of anode and cathode materials for enhancement of power generation and simultaneous waste water treatment are also explored.

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Electricity generation from living plants using microbial fuel cells

International Journal of Engineering & Technology ◽

10.14419/ijet.v7i4.5.21151 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (4.5) ◽

pp. 534 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Borker Mohnish ◽

Suchithra T.V

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Microbial Fuel Cell ◽

Plant Species ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Electricity Generation ◽

Setaria Faberi ◽

Electrochemically Active ◽

Electrochemically Active Bacteria ◽

Plant Microbial Fuel Cell

The need for a sustainable source of energy has catered engineers to discover and develop a biological battery known as Plant Microbial fuel cell. This biological battery operates with the help of electrochemically active bacteria in presence of CO2, sunlight and water. This technique is gaining importance in the field of bioelectricity as it produces clean in-situ energy from living plants without the need to harvest the plant species. Research on these cells have led to the development of various models. One such plant species Setaria faberi was tested for its compatibility in sediment plant microbial fuel cell. Power density of 4.6mW/m2 was obtained when it was tested with cocopeat as a hydroponic media. This paper highlights the suitability of S. faberi in producing sustainable bioelectricity with a hydroponic media.

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