Microbial fuel cells for bioelectricity production from waste as sustainable prospect of future energy sector

Hoang, Anh Tuan; Nižetić, Sandro; Ng, Kim Hoong; Papadopoulos, Agis M.; Le, Anh Tuan; Kumar, Sunil; Hadiyanto, Hadiyanto; Pham, Van Viet

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132285

Cited by 84 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 324 publications

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“…One of the technologies is microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which present a great potential for electricity generation from available waste resources and have been lauded for its potential to solve both energy and environmental pollution as well as socio-economic impacts of various technological solutions (Sani et al, 2021). It is indicated that technologically MFCs offer the capability to harness electricity from the chemical energy stored in the organic substrate with no intermediate steps, thereby minimizing the entropic loss due to the inter-conversion of energy (Hoang et al, 2022). Compared to traditional anaerobic digestion (AD), MCFs exhibit greater potential with their higher energy recovery efficiency from waste, and use microorganisms as the anodic material, rather than a chemical catalyst, thus a variety of low-grade solid wastes can be regarded as feedstock for MFCs in electricity production (Hoang et al, 2022; Dilip Kumar et al, 2022).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste-to-energy in a developing country: The state of landfill gas to energy in the Republic of South Africa

Mbazima

Masekameni

Mmereki

2022

Energy Exploration & Exploitation

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Landfill gas to energy (LFGE) projects were implemented in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) to diversify the energy mix and transition to a green economy. This study provides an overview of the status of LFGE in RSA and identifies major factors that inhibit the adoption and utilization of this technology, using existing data from 2010–2020 from electronic databases, namely, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, Google Scholar, Sage Open, Springer Link, Sabinet, and IEEE Xplore, and using a combination of keywords and Boolean functions. This study revealed that, although RSA has made significant progress in the adoption and utilization of landfill gas (LFG) through the seventeen (17) planned LFGE projects, only six (6) are operational and generate 15 MW of electricity supplied to the local grid in the KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng Province. The waste-to-energy (WtE) sources such as LFGE are not given priority, and the country continues to invest in coal-fired power stations, owing to the abundance, availability, and low cost of coal reserves, which will supply coal for the next 200 years. The study identified factors inhibiting LGFE projects in RSA, which included the lack of sanitary landfill sites, LFG monitoring, funding, skills, research, and development. Potential LFGE in RSA is evident, however, except for limited processing facilities, economic investment, and public awareness. Suggestions for further research on the techno-economic and policy assessments are provided in the study. This study contributes to synthesizing evidence of the status of LFGE, insights on state-of-the-art technologies of WtE and the associated challenges in the waste management sector, identifying the potential for LFGE, and LFGE in the circular economy, and building a foundation for future research on WtE such as LFGE. Moreover, it also offers a reference for policymakers, decision-makers, researchers in the waste management sector on the technologies of WtE, LFGE, and potential to reduce waste generated.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste-to-energy in a developing country: The state of landfill gas to energy in the Republic of South Africa

Mbazima

Masekameni

Mmereki

2022

Energy Exploration & Exploitation

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“…The main differences between these technologies are in the cathode activity and the operation mode. In MFCs, the presence of an oxidative agent (oxygen) causes the electrical current to flow spontaneously [ 11 , 12 ], whereas MECs require a certain amount of electrical input (about 0.3–0.8 V) to drive the redox reactions [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Electricity and hydrogen are the outcome of MFCs and MECs, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen Production in Microbial Electrolysis Cells Based on Bacterial Anodes Encapsulated in a Small Bioreactor Platform

et al. 2022

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Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are an emerging technology capable of harvesting part of the potential chemical energy in organic compounds while producing hydrogen. One of the main obstacles in MECs is the bacterial anode, which usually contains mixed cultures. Non-exoelectrogens can act as a physical barrier by settling on the anode surface and displacing the exoelectrogenic microorganisms. Those non-exoelectrogens can also compete with the exoelectrogenic microorganisms for nutrients and reduce hydrogen production. In addition, the bacterial anode needs to withstand the shear and friction forces existing in domestic wastewater plants. In this study, a bacterial anode was encapsulated by a microfiltration membrane. The novel encapsulation technology is based on a small bioreactor platform (SBP) recently developed for achieving successful bioaugmentation in wastewater treatment plants. The 3D capsule (2.5 cm in length, 0.8 cm in diameter) physically separates the exoelectrogenic biofilm on the carbon cloth anode material from the natural microorganisms in the wastewater, while enabling the diffusion of nutrients through the capsule membrane. MECs based on the SBP anode (MEC-SBPs) and the MECs based on a nonencapsulated anode (MEC control) were fed with Geobacter medium supplied with acetate for 32 days, and then with artificial wastewater for another 46 days. The electrochemical activity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), bacterial anode viability and relative distribution on the MEC-SBP anode were compared with the MEC control. When the MECs were fed with artificial wastewater, the MEC-SBP produced (at −0.6 V) 1.70 ± 0.22 A m−2, twice that of the MEC control. The hydrogen evolution rates were 0.017 and 0.005 m3 m−3 day−1, respectively. The COD consumption rate for both was about the same at 650 ± 70 mg L−1. We assume that developing the encapsulated bacterial anode using the SBP technology will help overcome the problem of contamination by non-exoelectrogenic bacteria, as well as the shear and friction forces in wastewater plants.

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“…[5] However, the low efficiency and high capital cost of MFC remains the bottleneck that restricts its practical applications. [6] To develop a highly efficient and affordable MFC, various factors are responsible, such as the electrodes materials and modification of electrodes, biocatalysts used, the configuration of the MFC, and operation. [7] Among these factors, the efficiency of electrode material plays a key role in the performance of MFC, which possess high conductivity, a large surface area, mechanical and chemical stability, excellent compatibility for exoelectrogenic bio-film growth, and relatively cheap.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the energy consumption of wastewater treatment can reduce [5] . However, the low efficiency and high capital cost of MFC remains the bottleneck that restricts its practical applications [6] . To develop a highly efficient and affordable MFC, various factors are responsible, such as the electrodes materials and modification of electrodes, bio‐catalysts used, the configuration of the MFC, and operation [7] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐Modified Graphite Felt and Carbon Cloth Anodes for Use in Microbial Fuel Cells

2022

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Anode modification is an effective method for enhancing extracellular electron transportation and improving the power density of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC). In this study, we decorated the surface of Carbon Cloth (CC) and Graphite Felt (GF) with a new conductive polymer, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxyhiophene) (PEDOT), using galvanostatic electropolymerization and fabricated a CC/PEDOT and GF/PEDOT anode for MFC application. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analyses illustrated that the PEDOT coating improved a redox‐active surface area, high electron transfer capabilities, and lower charge‐transfer resistance of anode. These modified electrodes give enhanced MFC performances with maximum energy generation and coulombic efficiency compared with plain electrode. The morphological characteristics like higher surface area and open structure of felt and carbon material promoted microbial formation and electrochemical active area. Compared with the unmodified anode, the PEDOT anodic modification improves the current density by 6.9 times i. e., 3.813 Am−2. Thus GF/PEDOT anode excelled among the studied anodes with the synergetic effect of PEDOT coating and structural configuration, making it a potential optimum anode for MFC application.

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Microbial fuel cells for bioelectricity production from waste as sustainable prospect of future energy sector

Cited by 84 publications

References 324 publications

Waste-to-energy in a developing country: The state of landfill gas to energy in the Republic of South Africa

Waste-to-energy in a developing country: The state of landfill gas to energy in the Republic of South Africa

Hydrogen Production in Microbial Electrolysis Cells Based on Bacterial Anodes Encapsulated in a Small Bioreactor Platform

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐Modified Graphite Felt and Carbon Cloth Anodes for Use in Microbial Fuel Cells

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