Abstract
Two ceramic stacks, terracotta (t-stack) and mullite (m-stack), were developed to produce energy when fed with neat undiluted urine. Each stack consisted of twelve identical microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which were arranged in cascades and tested under different electrical configurations. Despite voltage reversal, the m-stack produced a maximum power of 800 μW whereas the t-stack produced a maximum of 520 μW after 62.6 h of operation. Moreover, during the operation, both systems were subject to blockage possibly due to struvite. To the Authors' best knowledge, this is the first time that such a phenomenon in ceramic MFC membranes is shown to be the direct result of sub-optimal performance, which confirms the hypothesis that ceramic membranes can continue operating long-term, if the MFCs produce maximum power (high rate of e− transfer). Furthermore, it is shown that once the ceramic membrane is blocked, it may prove difficult to recover in-situ.
Highlights
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are systems that convert biomass directly into electricity through the metabolic activity of microorganisms [1,2]
The main obstacles that this technology has to overcome are the low energy generated when compared to more conventional mature technologies such as chemical fuel cells, batteries, photovoltaics as well as the high cost of some of the materials used [7,8]
Each MFC unit consisted of a single cylindrical ceramic chamber, whose internal volume was used as the anode chamber, and the external surface was used as the open-to-air cathode
Summary
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are systems that convert biomass directly into electricity through the metabolic activity of microorganisms [1,2]. The interest for this technology has rapidly increased, since MFCs offer the advantage of simultaneous treatment of wastewater and energy generation in the form of electricity [3,4]. Several MFC designs have been reported with optimised parameters for power production and wastewater treatment, when fed with different types of feedstock [2,5,6]. Several bioreactor designs have been investigated, under different operating conditions and both expensive and cheap materials have been tested with various substrates, the MFC technology has still not been commercialised [2,5]. The main obstacles that this technology has to overcome are the low energy generated when compared to more conventional mature technologies such as chemical fuel cells, batteries, photovoltaics ( the per-unit power output can be comparable to single PV cells that collectively make up a PV panel) as well as the high cost of some of the materials used [7,8]
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