Performance Improvement of Microbial Fuel Cells by Lactic Acid Bacteria and Anode Modification

Abstract

Abstract Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) conductive glass was modified by layer-by-layer modification of chitosan (CS) and α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Lactic acid bacteria were the source of electrons in the studied microbial fuel cells (MFCs) system. When ITO/(CS/α-Fe2O3)4/CS was the anode, external resistance was 626.6 Ω, while maximum current and maximum power density were 1.16 mA and 0.122 W/m2, respectively. These values were far higher than already reported results. Atomic force microscope image proved that ITO/(CS/α-Fe2O3)4/CS surface was rougher than blank ITO and ITO/(CS/α-Fe2O3)8/CS surfaces, which enable it to have a higher specific surface area for the microbes to grow. For ITO/(CS/α-Fe2O3)4/CS, physical properties played a leading role, while the chemical properties mainly determined the surface morphology of ITO/(CS/α-Fe2O3)8/CS. Lactic acid bacteria in fermentation waste could improve the current of MFCs. Layer-by-layer assembly of CS/α-Fe2O3 could significantly improve the performance of MFCs.