Heavy Metal Sensor Research Based on Microbial Fuel Cell

Abstract

In this study, a single chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed for heavy metal (copper ions) sensor with different concentrations at cathode, and its electrochemical activities in batch-mode operation including polarization curve, power density, anode potential, cathode potential and 30 minutes real-time voltage were characterized and studied. Under the condition of 1000 Ω external resistance, 100 mM PBS buffer and 1000 mg/L COD, results indicated that the real-time voltage of 30 min collected by the data acquisition was linearly developed with the change of concentration gradient, and the polarization curve showed that copper ion concentration and power density reflect a trend of X squared. In addition, the anode and cathode potential collected by the multimeter, also showed a trend of X². By studying the relationship between electrochemical parameters and heavy metal ion concentration, a reliable correlation could be established to help us to use the detected electrochemical parameters to estimate the concentration of heavy metal ions in the environment of sewage pollution, so as to provide theoretical support for the development of new heavy metal sensors. The results provided new ideas for the practical application of microbial fuel cells.