Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of food waste condensate concentration (400–4000 mg COD/L) on the performance of two microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Food waste condensate is produced after condensing the vapors that result from drying and shredding of household food waste (HFW). Two identical single-chamber MFCs were constructed with different cathodic assemblies based on GoreTex cloth (Cell 1) and mullite (Cell 2) materials. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out to measure the maximum power output and the internal resistances of the cells. High COD removal efficiencies (>86%) were observed in all cases. Both cells performed better at low initial condensate concentrations (400–600 mg COD/L). Cell 1 achieved maximum electricity yield (1.51 mJ/g COD/L) at 500 mg COD/L and maximum coulombic efficiency (6.9%) at 400 mg COD/L. Cell 2 achieved maximum coulombic efficiency (51%) as well as maximum electricity yield (25.9 mJ/g COD/L) at 400 mg COD/L. Maximum power was observed at 600 mg COD/L for Cell 1 (14.2 mW/m2) and Cell 2 (14.4 mW/m2). Impedance measurements revealed that the charge transfer resistance and the solution resistance increased significantly with increasing condensate concentration in both cells.
Highlights
The highest values of maximum power output and maximum electricity yield were obtained at lower concentrations, with Cell 2 outperforming Cell 1
The maximum power density was obtained at 600 mg COD/L initial condensate concentration
2: 14.4 mW/m2 ) whereas the maximum electricity yield was achieved at 400 mg COD/L for
Summary
Disposal of biowaste, such as food waste, includes landfilling or incineration. These approaches have a severe impact on the environment. Given the fact that almost 53% of the total food waste produced in the European Union corresponds to household food waste (HFW), along with the fact that HFW is a material rich in carbon and nitrogen, different approaches have emerged using HFW as a feedstock [4,5], for the production of energy and value-added products such as biogas, biosurfactants, bioplastics and organic fertilizers [4,6], as adsorbents for the removal of dye effluents from water streams [2] and as platform chemicals such as lactic acid [7,8]
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