Factors affecting the performance of a single-chamber microbial fuel cell-type biological oxygen demand sensor

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 1914-1919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gai-Xiu Yang ◽  
Yong-Ming Sun ◽  
Xiao-Ying Kong ◽  
Feng Zhen ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
...  

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that exploit microorganisms as biocatalysts to degrade organic matter or sludge present in wastewater (WW), and thereby generate electricity. We developed a simple, low-cost single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC)-type biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensor using carbon felt (anode) and activated sludge, and demonstrated its feasibility in the construction of a real-time BOD measurement system. Further, the effects of anodic pH and organic concentration on SCMFC performance were examined, and the correlation between BOD concentration and its response time was analyzed. Our results demonstrated that the SCMFC exhibited a stable voltage after 132 min following the addition of synthetic WW (BOD concentration: 200 mg/L). Notably, the response signal increased with an increase in BOD concentration (range: 5–200 mg/L) and was found to be directly proportional to the substrate concentration. However, at higher BOD concentrations (>120 mg/L) the response signal remained unaltered. Furthermore, we optimized the SCMFC using synthetic WW, and tested it with real WW. Upon feeding real WW, the BOD values exhibited a standard deviation from 2.08 to 8.3% when compared to the standard BOD5 method, thus demonstrating the practical applicability of the developed system to real treatment effluents.

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia Kim ◽  
Moon Sik Hyun ◽  
Geoffrey M. Gadd ◽  
Gwang Tae Kim ◽  
Sang‐Joon Lee ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Chailloux ◽  
A. Capitaine ◽  
B. Erable ◽  
G. Pillonnet

AbstractMicrobial fuel cells (MFC’s) are promising energy harvesters to constantly supply energy to sensors deployed in aquatic environments where solar, thermal and vibration sources are inadequate. In order to show the ready-to-use MFC potential as energy scavengers, this paper presents the association of a durable benthic MFC with a few dollars of commercially-available power management units (PMU’s) dedicated to other kinds of harvesters. With 20 cm


2021 ◽  
Vol 269 ◽  
pp. 01002
Author(s):  
Li Wang ◽  
Jiafeng Fu ◽  
Wenlei Wang ◽  
Yutong Song ◽  
Yan Li

This work explores the effect of the ammonia concentration on the wetland synthesis of microbial fuel cell (MFC) and on the production and the efficiency of sewage purification. Four ammonia concentrations from 1 to 30 mg/L have been selected. Under the fixed condition of a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of 200 mg/L, a constructed wetland microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) could be built. The results show that by selecting the optimum ammonia concentration the production of the CW-MFC could be promoted; a higher ammonia concentration (>20 mg/L) is found to inhibit the production activity of CW-MFC. In the optimum conditions, Cathode and anode thickness is 10 cm, the ammonia concentration is 10 mg/L, the COD concentration of 200 mg/L, the maximum power density of the battery is 13.6 W/m3, the corresponding current density is 148.6 A/m3 and the battery internal resistance is 270 Ω. At the ammonia nitrogen concentration of 10 mg/L, the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen and COD were up to 89.7% and 98.47% respectively. As the ammonia nitrogen concentration increased to 30 mg/L, the ammonia nitrogen and COD removal rates decreased to 74.6% and 90.69% respectively. That is, when the ammonia nitrogen concentration is 10 mg/L, CW-MFC can exhibit the best performance.


Catalysts ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł P. Włodarczyk ◽  
Barbara Włodarczyk

The possibility of wastewater treatment and electricity production using a microbial fuel cell with Cu–B alloy as the cathode catalyst is presented in this paper. Our research covered the catalyst preparation; measurements of the electroless potential of electrodes with the Cu–B catalyst, measurements of the influence of anodic charge on the catalytic activity of the Cu–B alloy, electricity production in a microbial fuel cell (with a Cu–B cathode), and a comparison of changes in the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+, and NO3– in three reactors: one excluding aeration, one with aeration, and during microbial fuel cell operation (with a Cu–B cathode). During the experiments, electricity production equal to 0.21–0.35 mA·cm−2 was obtained. The use of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) with Cu–B offers a similar reduction time for COD to that resulting from the application of aeration. The measured reduction of NH4+ was unchanged when compared with cases employing MFCs, and it was found that effectiveness of about 90% can be achieved for NO3– reduction. From the results of this study, we conclude that Cu–B can be employed to play the role of a cathode catalyst in applications of microbial fuel cells employed for wastewater treatment and the production of electricity.


RSC Advances ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (25) ◽  
pp. 12789-12794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhua Tang ◽  
Haoran Li ◽  
Weida Wang ◽  
Zhuwei Du ◽  
How Yong Ng

A high-performance and low-cost catalyst derived from aniline and iron was synthesized for use as microbial fuel cell (MFC) air cathodes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-ling Zhao ◽  
Tian-shun Song

A 10 L upflow microbial fuel cell (UMFC) was constructed for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal. During the 6-month operation, the UMFC constantly removed carbon and nitrogen, and then generated electricity with synthetic wastewater as substrate. At 5.0 mg L−1 dissolved oxygen, 100 Ω external resistance, and pH 6.5, the maximum power density (Pmax) and nitrification rate for the UMFC was 19.5 mW m−2 and 17.9 mg·(L d)−1, respectively. In addition, Pmax in the UMFC with chicken manure wastewater as substrate was 16 mW m−2, and a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 94.1% in the UMFC was achieved at 50 mM phosphate-buffered saline. Almost all ammonia in the cathode effluent was effectively degraded after biological denitrification in the UMFC cathode. The results can help to further develop pilot-scale microbial fuel cells for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal.


2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (48) ◽  
pp. 17380-17387 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Hernández-Flores ◽  
H.M. Poggi-Varaldo ◽  
O. Solorza-Feria ◽  
M.T. Ponce-Noyola ◽  
T. Romero-Castañón ◽  
...  

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