Simultaneous Enhancement of Methylene Blue Degradation and Power Generation in a Microbial Fuel Cell by Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

This study examined the effect of positively charged gold nanoparticles [(+)AuNPs] on the enhancement of methylene blue (MB) degradation in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) cathode. Complete MB degradation and a maximum electricity production of 36.56 mW/m2 were achieved simultaneously. The MFC performance and MB degradation were found to be strictly dependent on the cathodic conditions, such as N2 bubbling, air bubbling, and addition of H2O2. MB was reduced rapidly under anaerobic conditions, whereas complete oxidative mineralization of MB occurred in the presence of dissolved oxygen (DO) or H2O2. (+)AuNPs enhanced the electricity generation in the MFCs involving MB degradation owing to its electron-relay effect. The presence of both (+)AuNPs and H2O2 produced the greatest enhancement in MB degradation. After 5 h, almost all of the MB (98%) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (96%) had been removed in the presence of (+)AuNPs, whereas only 57.4% of the MB and 40% of the COD had been removed in the absence of (+)AuNPs.

Photobiological synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles using Hydrocotyle asiatica and application as catalyst for the photodegradation of cationic dyes

“…A new peak is also observed at 252 nm, which may be due to the alkali fading of dye (leuco form) [59]. The fact that, no additional peak is noticed around 255 nm and the k max is shifted from 617 to 570 nm in the sunlight irradiated reaction suggests that the dye undergo degradation in the presence of sunlight rather than simple adsorption [60].…”

Improved electrode performance in microbial fuel cells and the enhanced visible light-induced photoelectrochemical behaviour of PtO @M-TiO2 nanocomposites

“…Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that utilize microorganisms as a catalyst for the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy [16]. Microorganisms generate electricity directly from a variety of waste materials, and are attracting increasing attention as alternative and relatively inexpensive energy sources [17].…”

The Effect of Cathode Materials on Indirect Electrochemical Oxidation of Methyl Orange, Malachite Green and Methylene Blue

“…Another dye, methylene blue, a chlorinated polycyclic synthetic organic compound, has structural similarity with rhodamine b, naphthol blue black and acid orange 7 [8]. MB is a widely used dye in dying cotton, wool, acrylic and silk [9,10,11]. It is highly stable and antibiodegradable [11].…”

“…It is highly stable and antibiodegradable [11]. Its consumption causes nausea, diarrhea, burning of eyes, vomiting, breathing difficulty, mental disorder, sweating [9,10]. Methyl orange represents the azo dye family and is commonly used in the titrations of mid strength acids.…”

“…Physical (precipitation, adsorption) [1,5,[13][14][15][16] chemical [10]; biological [2,6,17,18], photocatalytic [19,20,21,22,23]; electro-oxidation [4,9,[24][25][26]; electro-reduction [27,28,29]; photoelectrochemical [30,31,32]; electro-Fenton [33,34,35] are amongst the most recognized methods. The electrochemical oxidation method has attracted a large group of researchers in the past three decades.…”