Different types of carbon nanotube-based anodes to improve microbial fuel cell performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1900-1910 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Thepsuparungsikul ◽  
T. C. Ng ◽  
O. Lefebvre ◽  
H. Y. Ng

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an innovative technology for producing electricity directly from biodegradable organic matter using bacteria. Among all the influenceable factors, anode materials play a crucial role in electricity generation. Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have exhibited promising properties as electrode material due to their unique structural, and physical and chemical properties. In this study, the impacts of CNT types in CNT-based anodes were investigated to determine their effect on both efficiency of wastewater treatment and power generation. The CNTs, namely single-walled CNT with carboxyl group (SWCNT), multi-walled CNT with carboxyl group (MWCNT-COOH) and multi-walled CNT with hydroxyl group (MWCNT-OH) were used to fabricate CNT-based anodes by a filtration method. Overall, MWCNTs provided better results than SWCNTs, especially in the presence of the -OH groups. The highest power and treatment efficiencies in MFC were achieved with an anode made of MWCNT-OH filtered on Poreflon membrane; the open circuit voltage attained was 0.75 V and the maximum power density averaged 167 mW/m2, which was 130% higher than that obtained with plain carbon cloth. In addition, MWCNT-OH is more cost-effective, further suggesting its potential to replace plain carbon cloth generally used for the MFC anode.

Author(s):  
Omkar S Powar ◽  
Lakshminarayana Bhatta ◽  
Raghavendra Prasad ◽  
Krishna Venkatesh ◽  
A.V. Raghu

In this study electricity generation was evaluated in a two chambered microbial fuel cell. Performance of microbial fuel cells using two bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus coagulans and using three different electrodes namely graphite blocks, carbon cloth and graphite sheet was studied. The device was operated under anaerobic condition in the anode chamber and parameters were recorded for a period of 48 hours. The performance of MFC was analyzed by the measurement of open circuit voltage, polarization curves, impedance curves and cyclic voltammetry. Among different combinations of electrode tested, carbon cloth electrode produced high power density (80 mW/m2). Graphite block gave much high power compared to sheet. Finally, performance was compared with Shewanellaputrefaciens. The current study explores the applicability of carbon electrode for MFC applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enas Taha Sayed ◽  
Hussain Alawadhi ◽  
Khaled Elsaid ◽  
A. G. Olabi ◽  
Maryam Adel Almakrani ◽  
...  

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an emerging method for extracting energy from wastewater. The power generated from such systems is low due to the sluggish electron transfer from the inside of the biocatalyst to the anode surface. One strategy for enhancing the electron transfer rate is anode modification. In this study, iron nanostructure was synthesized on a carbon cloth (CC) via a simple electroplating technique, and later investigated as a bio-anode in an MFC operated with real wastewater. The performance of an MFC with a nano-layer of iron was compared to that using bare CC. The results demonstrated that the open-circuit voltage increased from 600 mV in the case of bare CC to 800 mV in the case of the iron modified CC, showing a 33% increase in OCV. This increase in OCV can be credited to the decrease in the anode potential from 0.16 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the case of bare CC, to −0.01 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the case of the modified CC. The power output in the case of the modified electrode was 80 mW/m2—two times that of the MFC using the bare CC. Furthermore, the steady-state current in the case of the iron modified carbon cloth was two times that of the bare CC electrode. The improved performance was correlated to the enhanced electron transfer between the microorganisms and the iron-plated surface, along with the increase of the anode surface- as confirmed from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the surface morphology, respectively.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 981-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed E. Osman ◽  
Om-Kolthoum H. Khattab ◽  
Abo Elnasr A.A. ◽  
Abdel Basset S.

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) has great potential for azo dyes decolorization and electricity generation by using filamentous fungi as biocatalysts. In this study, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum were inoculated in anode chamber of double-chamber MFC to decolorize azo dye acid black 172 with Potassium Ferricyanide in the cathode chamber. During MFC operations, Acid black 172 oxidized and produced a maximum open-circuit voltage of 890 mV, and maximum current density of 163 mA/m2 with an external resistance of 1000Ω. Also, variable parameters such as dye concentration, Co-substrate and dye as a sole carbon source were studied to improve microbial fuel cell performance.


Author(s):  
Rajkumar Rajendran ◽  
Gnana Prakash Dhakshina Moorthy ◽  
Haribabu Krishnan ◽  
Sumisha Anappara

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 848-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueying Liu ◽  
Xiaoyu Du ◽  
Xia Wang ◽  
Naiqiang Li ◽  
Ping Xu ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Scott ◽  
S. Pilditch ◽  
M. Mamlouk

A steady-state, isothermal, one-dimensional model of a direct methanol proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), with a polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane, was developed. The electrode kinetics were represented by the Butler–Volmer equation, mass transport was described by the multicomponent Stefan–Maxwell equations and Darcy's law, and the ionic and electronic resistances described by Ohm's law. The model incorporated the effects of temperature and pressure on the open circuit potential, the exchange current density, and diffusion coefficients, together with the effect of water transport across the membrane on the conductivity of the PBI membrane. The influence of methanol crossover on the cathode polarization is included in the model. The polarization curves predicted by the model were validated against experimental data for a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) operating in the temperature range of 125–175 °C. There was good agreement between experimental and model data for the effect of temperature and oxygen/air pressure on cell performance. The fuel cell performance was relatively poor, at only 16 mW cm−2 peak power density using low concentrations of methanol in the vapor phase.


2019 ◽  
pp. 85-105
Author(s):  
M. Amirul Islam ◽  
Ahasanul Karim ◽  
Puranjan Mishra ◽  
Che Ku Mohammad Faizal ◽  
Maksudur Rahman Khan ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document