Harvesting energy from the marine sediment–water interface: III. Kinetic activity of quinone- and antimony-based anode materials

Abstract

Benthic microbial fuel cells (BMFCs) consist of an anode imbedded in marine sediment, connected by an external circuit to a cathode in overlying water. Long-term power density of BMFCs is limited by mass transport of the anode reactants, the transport being attributed to natural processes, including diffusion, convention, and tidal pumping. In order to increase short-term power density of BMFCs and long-term power density of a more recently reported BMFC, which artificially augments mass transport of the anode reactants, new anode materials are reported here with faster kinetics for microbial reduction as compared to commonly used G10 graphite. Results indicate that the kinetic activities (KAs) of glassy carbon graphite with surface-confined anthraquinone-1,6-disulfonic acid (AQDS), graphite paste with an incorporated Sb(V) complex, and oxidized graphite, and oxidized graphite subsequently modified with AQDS is 1.9–218 times greater than the KA of plain G10 graphite.