Enhanced performance of microbial fuel cells with a bacteria/shape-controllable aligned carbon nanofibers hybrid biofilm

Abstract

Improving the bacterial loading contents and extracellular electron transfer (EET) efficiency are promising strategies to enhance the overall performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Herein, an aligned carbon nanofiber-bacteria (ACNF-bacteria) hybrid is prepared and used as an efficient anode employing the electrospinning and co-filtration method. The ACNF matrix reveals rich porous structure, large specific surface area, and obviously improved electrocatalytic performance compared to the pristine carbon cloth (CC) anode. Specifically, MFC with the ACNF-bacteria anode achieves a maximum power density of 704 mW m−2, which is 1.7, 2.1 times higher than that of ACNF, CNF and CC anode. Impressively, the coulombic efficiency and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate for ACNF-bacteria anode reach 47.4% and 87.9%, respectively, far exceeding the CC anode (29.3% and 47.6%). Considering all the factors of low cost, facial fabrication, and high-power output, this novel ACNF-bacteria anode provides great potential for high-performance and cost-effective MFCs in a large scale.