Single-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells’ Behavior at Different Operational Scenarios

Sameer Al-Asheh,Ahmed Aidan,Yousef Al-Assaf

doi:10.3390/en13205458

Abstract

A Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a process in which a microorganism respires and captures the electrons that normally passes through the electron transport system of the organism and produces electricity. This work intends to present the different operating parameters affecting the efficiency of a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) process. To study the performance of the process, various materials for the cathode and anode rods with similar size and chape including, copper, aluminum, carbon cloth, steel and brass were considered to determine the combination that leads to the best results. Moreover, different oxidizing agents such as Copper Sulphate and Potassium Hexacyanoferrate were considered. Furthermore, the effects of shapes, sizes and distance between electrodes on the current and voltage were investigated. The power outputs between electrochemical and microbial cells were recorded. In addition, the power, whether expressed as voltage or current, was measured at different conditions and different cell combinations. The power is directly related to the area, volume of the bacterial solution and supplying air and stirring.

Highlights

It is well known that excessive burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming and leads to the ever-existing energy crisis
The results revealed that when using the smaller cell size, the voltage started with a value of 0.277 V across the cathode and the anode and gradually increased until it reached a constant value of 0.337 V in 10 min
The different operational scenarios considered in this works showed different functionality of the Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) operation in terms of voltage and current

Summary

Introduction

It is well known that excessive burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming and leads to the ever-existing energy crisis. To track together the issues of the energy crisis and water pollution, fuel cell technology is a promising alternative to fossil fuels that could lead to a cleaner environment and reduced CO2 emissions [2]. Power devices convert the vitality contained in electron producing organic materials into electricity utilizing a chemical catalyst. With the help of biocatalysts, biological fuel cells (biofuel cells) can achieve the anodic, the cathodic or both reactions. This results in enzymatic power devices or Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs)

Methods

Results

Conclusion