Scalable microbial fuel cell (MFC) stack for continuous real wastewater treatment

Li, Zhuang; Zheng, Yu; Zhou, Shungui; Yuan, Yong; Yuan, Huatang; Chen, Yong

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.11.019

Cited by 259 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…MFCs could be scaled up by two techniques; the first one includes the connection of single small cells together, while the second one includes the amplification of a single MFC volume (Cheng & Logan, 2011;Dewan et al, 2008;Ieropoulos et al, 2008;Ieropoulos et al, 2010;Zhuang et al, 2012a;Zhuang et al, 2012b). On the other hand, scaled up MFCs can change electrode spacing and orientation, and therefore impact the resulted power density due to changes in the internal resistance (ElMekawy et al, 2013a).…”

Section: Scaling Up Bottlenecksmentioning

confidence: 98%

Food and agricultural wastes as substrates for bioelectrochemical system (BES): The synchronized recovery of sustainable energy and waste treatment

ElMekawy

Srikanth

Bajracharya

et al. 2015

Food Research International

137

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Section: Scaling Up Bottlenecksmentioning

confidence: 98%

Food and agricultural wastes as substrates for bioelectrochemical system (BES): The synchronized recovery of sustainable energy and waste treatment

ElMekawy

Srikanth

Bajracharya

et al. 2015

Food Research International

137

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“…A short‐ or long‐term operation may be required, which depends on the application, as well as the combination of parallel and series connections of multiple units to increase the power output 3, 20. Nevertheless, no comprehensive comparison of different ceramic membranes is available in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive Study on Ceramic Membranes for Low‐Cost Microbial Fuel Cells

2015

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Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) made with different types of ceramic membranes were investigated to find a low‐cost alternative to commercially available proton exchange membranes. The MFCs operated with fresh human urine as the fuel. Pyrophyllite and earthenware produced the best performance to reach power densities of 6.93 and 6.85 W m−3, respectively, whereas mullite and alumina achieved power densities of 4.98 and 2.60 W m−3, respectively. The results indicate the dependence of bio‐film growth and activity on the type of ceramic membrane applied. The most favourable conditions were created in earthenware MFCs. The performance of the ceramic membranes was related to their physical and chemical properties determined by environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The cost of mullite, earthenware, pyrophyllite and alumina was estimated to be 13.61, 4.14, 387.96 and 177.03 GBP m−2, respectively. The results indicate that earthenware and mullite are good substitutes for commercially available proton exchange membranes, which makes the MFC technology accessible in developing countries.

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“…As archaea are widely distributed in sludge and saline environments, Halobacteria has potential for unconventional sewage degradation under extreme environmental conditions. 50 Halobacteria have been utilized to deal with the organic contaminants, organophosphorus pollutants, and heavy metal problems of highsalinity wastewater. Most studies concentrated upon analyzing bioelectrochemical phenomenon and strain separation.…”

Section: 47mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction of bacteria and archaea in a microbial fuel cell with ITO anode

et al. 2018

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A microbial fuel cell with an indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass anode was used to study the mechanism of electricity generation and electron transfer of electrochemically active microbes (EAMs). A simple method of ITO anode pretreatment (pickling) was developed to improve the performance of the microbial fuel cell.After proper treatment, ITO-glass anodes maintained their conductivity with a slight increase in resistance.Using this pickling pretreatment, the ITO-glass microbial fuel cell with an anode area of only 8.3 cm 2 , was successfully initiated and obtained a stable voltage and power output of 418.8 mW m À2 . The electrode material with pretreatment showed optimal performance for the in situ study of EAMs. DNA was extracted from various parts of the reactor and the microbial communities were analyzed. The results indicated that the large proportion of methane-related microbes on the cathode of the MFC was one of the reasons for its high COD removal and low columbic efficiency. ITO glass is suitable as an anode material for the in situ study of EAMs, and shows potential for practical application.Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are one type of "green energy generating" device that is able to convert the chemical energy of organic matter into electrical energy.1 The process of conversion from chemical energy to electrical energy takes place during wastewater treatment using MFCs. This type of device utilizes microorganisms as the biocatalyst and has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers around the world. 1-4Studies of MFCs have been mainly focused in a few specic areas: increasing the efficiency of converting organic matter into electrical energy, reducing the cost of assembling the reactors, and the mechanism of MFCs that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. 2,4-6In the rst step of energy conversion, microorganisms at the MFC anode consume organic matter from their growth medium and release electrons.7 To study this critical step involving the anode, the microorganisms located their, and their mechanism of electron deposition, it is necessary to choose proper anodic materials. 8At present, more and more choices have got to fabricate or modify the electrode of MFCs, with nanomaterials, nanocomposites, graphene sheet and graphene oxides owing to their high surface area, porosity and prompt electron conduction properties.9-13 The results showed that the electrodes fabricated or modied by nonamaterials exhibited excellent electrochemical activity. Signicant redox peaks have found in cyclic voltammograms and electricity production of the MFCs also obtained.To harvest the largest columbic efficiencies and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies, most MFC anodes are carbon-felt brushes with a large surface area.

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Scalable microbial fuel cell (MFC) stack for continuous real wastewater treatment

Cited by 259 publications

References 28 publications

Food and agricultural wastes as substrates for bioelectrochemical system (BES): The synchronized recovery of sustainable energy and waste treatment

Food and agricultural wastes as substrates for bioelectrochemical system (BES): The synchronized recovery of sustainable energy and waste treatment

Comprehensive Study on Ceramic Membranes for Low‐Cost Microbial Fuel Cells

Interaction of bacteria and archaea in a microbial fuel cell with ITO anode

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