Efficient bioelectro-Fenton degradation of styrene using Fe/Mn modified bimetallic catalysts as microbial fuel cell cathodes

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can generate electricity to drive electro-Fenton (EF) reactions for contaminant degradation. The oxygen reduction ability, catalytic ability, electron transfer efficiency, and styrene degradation efficiency of the catalysts were evaluated by loading iron and manganese ions on graphite fiber (GF) as bimetallic catalysts on the cathode of MFC/EF. The surface-loaded Fe–Mn@GF cathode had the highest reduction peak current density (−136.64 mA/cm2), which was 1.99 times that of the Fe@GF (−68.62 mA/cm2) cathode and 16.64 times that of the GF (−8.21 mA/cm2) cathode. Polymorphic crystals of Fe2O3 and MnO2 were observed in the Fe–Mn@GF-loaded cathode, resulting in many active sites on the surface of the cathode to enhance the catalytic ability of the material. The maximum power density (469.71 mW/m2) and minimum total internal resistance (189.63 Ω) of Fe–Mn@GF as the MFC cathode demonstrated that the Mn-doped cathode has superior electrical conductivity and electron transfer rate, thus significantly decreasing the electron transfer resistance. The styrene removal efficiency of MFC/EF using Fe–Mn@GF in a three-cycle run was maintained at over 90.31 %−98.14 %. The bimetallic catalyst effectively promoted hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation, demonstrating that the Fe–Mn@GF system could stably produce ·OH for styrene degradation, and that MFC/EF with Fe–Mn@GF had almost no remaining biotoxicity after the first run. The most novel aspect of this study is the successful application of the MFC/EF system for styrene removal, providing a new approach for treating organic pollutants. Establishing this technology has important application value for improving water quality and environmental protection.