Abstract
A microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) consumes the chemical energy of organic material producing, in turn, hydrogen. This study presents a new hybrid MEC design with improved performance. An external TiO2 nanotube (TNT) array photoanode, fabricated by anodization of Ti foil, supplies photogenerated electrons to the MEC electrical circuit, significantly improving overall performance. The photogenerated electrons help to reduce electron depletion of the bioanode, and improve the proton reduction reaction at the cathode. Under simulated AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm−2) the 28 mL hybrid MEC exhibits a H2 evolution rate of 1434.268 ± 114.174 mmol m−3 h−1, a current density of 0.371 ± 0.000 mA cm−2 and power density of 1415.311 ± 23.937 mW m−2, that are respectively 30.76%, 34.4%, and 26.0% higher than a MEC under dark condition.
Highlights
To curtail global heating, or ‘warming’ as it is commonly called, and its associated potentially catastrophic climate changes, anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions should be near zero [1].Hydrogen is a potential substitute for fossil fuels, and upon combustion produces only water.Hydrogen possesses an energy density of ≈120 MJ kg−1, which compares quite favorably to gasoline at 45.7 MJ kg−1
If hydrogen is to be used as a carbon-neutral fuel it must be made on a renewable basis [2], not by the common technique of steam methane reforming (SMR) of natural gas [3]
One approach to carbon-neutral generation of hydrogen is by the use of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), which convert the chemical energy inherent in wastewater organics into hydrogen
Summary
‘warming’ as it is commonly called, and its associated potentially catastrophic climate changes, anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions should be near zero [1].Hydrogen is a potential substitute for fossil fuels, and upon combustion produces only water.Hydrogen possesses an energy density of ≈120 MJ kg−1 , which compares quite favorably to gasoline at 45.7 MJ kg−1. Hydrogen is a potential substitute for fossil fuels, and upon combustion produces only water. If hydrogen is to be used as a carbon-neutral fuel it must be made on a renewable basis [2], not by the common technique of steam methane reforming (SMR) of natural gas [3]. One approach to carbon-neutral generation of hydrogen is by the use of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), which convert the chemical energy inherent in wastewater organics into hydrogen. The chemical energy inherent to the organic materials in wastewater is substantial, ≈9.3 times greater than the energy utilized for conventional wastewater treatment [4,5]. MECs offer the dual benefits of both renewable hydrogen generation and wastewater treatment
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