Influence of Electrode Characteristics on Coulombic Efficiency (CE) in Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) Treating Wastewater

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of crucial electrode properties (the anode/cathode geometric areas, cathode structures, and cathode platinum (Pt) loadings) with the aim to optimize the coulombic efficiency (CE) in single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs). The results showed that the cathode characteristics had more significant effects than the anode on the CE which decreased with the increase in cathode areas. The CE increased with higher cathode Pt loadings due to the increase in catalytic activity and current generation. Highest CEs was achieved when the cathode had multiple-layer (ML) structure, though it had low current generation. The oxygen penetration on the cathode was the key factor to control the CE in the SCMFCs treating wastewater, even though a highest CE was achieved when the current generation was not the highest.