Prototype of a scaled‐up microbial fuel cell for copper recovery
Pau Rodenas Motos, Gonzalo Molina, A. ter Heijne, T. Sleutels +2
AI summary
100% confidenceA prototype microbial fuel cell for copper recovery was designed and tested, achieving a current density of 1.2 A/m² and power production of 48 mW/m².
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Abstract
Abstract Background Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) enable recovery of electrical energy through oxidation of a wide range of substrates at an anode and simultaneous recovery of metals at a cathode. Scale‐up of BESs from the laboratory to pilot scale is a challenging step in the development of the process, and there are only a few successful experiences to build on. This paper presents a prototype BES for the recovery of copper. Results The cell design presented here had removable electrodes, similar to those in electroplating baths. The anode and cathode in this design could be replaced independently. The prototype bioelectrochemical cell consisted of an 835 cm² bioanode fed with acetate, and a 700 cm² cathode fed with copper. A current density of 1.2 A/−2 was achieved with 48 mW m⁻² of power production. The contribution of each component (anode, electrolytes, cathode and membrane) was evaluated through the analysis of the internal resistance distribution. This revealed that major losses occurred at the anode, and that the design with removable electrodes results in higher internal resistance compared with other systems. To further assess the practical applicability of BES for copper recovery, an economic evaluation was performed. Conclusion Analysis shows that the internal resistance of several lab‐scale BESs is already sufficiently low to make the system economic, while the internal resistance for scaled‐up systems still needs to be improved considerably to become economically applicable.© 2017 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Key findings
- Removable electrodes in the cell design resulted in higher internal resistance compared to other systems.
- Major losses occurred at the anode, indicating a need for optimization.
- The bioelectrochemical cell design showed potential for copper recovery, but further development is needed.
Keywords
Identifiers
- Journal
- Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
- Year
- 2017