Single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs) treating wastewater containing methanol

Abstract

This study focused on methanol degradation in single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs). The batch-mode SCMFCs tests over 900 h showed that methanol was able to be partly converted into electricity, and power generation was not affected by methanol concentrations. Methanol degradation efficiencies were 100% at all methanol concentrations tested (0.005–0.04 M), and the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) was 82–118 mg/L. The increasing in methanol concentration led to lower pH inside SCMFCs and lower coulombic efficiencies (CE), which might indicate the swift from electrogenic reactions to anaerobic fermentation. The cathodic open circuit potential (OCP) started to decrease when the methanol concentration was higher than of 0.02 M, indicating the possible cathode poisoning by methanol, while the linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) results showed the cathode poisoning was not substantial.