Abstract
Although regarded as environmentally stable, bioelectrochemical fuel cells or, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) continue to face challenges with sustaining electron transport. In response, we examined the performance of two graphene composite-based anode electrodes—graphene oxide (GO) and GO–polymer–metal oxide (GO–PANI–Ag)—prepared from biomass and used in MFCs. Over 7 days of operation, GO energy efficiency peaked at 1.022 mW/m2 and GO–PANI–Ag at 2.09 mW/m2. We also tested how well the MFCs could remove heavy metal ions from synthetic wastewater, a secondary application of MFCs that offers considerable benefits. Overall, GO–PANI–Ag had a higher removal rate than GO, with 78.10% removal of Pb(II) and 80.25% removal of Cd(II). Material characterizations, electrochemical testing, and microbial testing conducted to validate the anodes performance confirmed that using new materials as electrodes in MFCs can be an attractive approach to improve the electron transportation. When used with a natural organic substrate (e.g., sugar cane juice), they also present fewer challenges. We also optimized different parameters to confirm the efficiency of the MFCs under various operating conditions. Considering those results, we discuss some lingering challenges and potential possibilities for MFCs.
Highlights
Two of the greatest challenges that humankind currently confronts are the energy crisis and a scarcity of clean water
Because no research examining anodes in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) based on graphene oxide (GO)–PANI–Ag composites has been conducted, we focused on synthesizing GO from the trunk materials of oil palms, species of which abound in countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (e.g., Thailand, Indonesia Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia) [31]
Our work has demonstrated that a modified graphene–PANI–Ag anode fabricated from oil palm trunk material increased electron transport and achieved excellent energy performance
Summary
Two of the greatest challenges that humankind currently confronts are the energy crisis and a scarcity of clean water. A fully developed prototype of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was shown to generate bioelectricity while simultaneously removing pollutants from water [1,2,3]. This and other MFCs can be used in methods in which bacterial species oxidize organic matter and produce electrons and protons [4]. Additional effort is needed to improve their performance in order to overcome difficulties with improving bacterial growth, facilitating electron transport, and developing cost-effective organic substrates. Of all elements that directly impact bacterial development, the anode electrode is one of the few that may provide a steady environment free of toxicity. In the case of MFCs, the anode electrode is in direct contact with biofilm, thereby allowing the MFCs to generate and transport electrons more efficiently [15]
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