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This MFC study microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the potential to directly convert the chemical energy in organic matter into electrical energy, making them a promising technology for achieving sustainable energy production alongside wastewater treatment. However, the low extracellular electron transfer (EET) rates and limited bacteria loading capacity of MFCs anode materials present challenges in achieving high power output.

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What they did

System
MFC
Substrate
pure compound

What worked

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Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the potential to directly convert the chemical energy in organic matter into electrical energy, making them a promising technology for achieving sustainable energy production alongside wastewater treatment. However, the low extracellular electron transfer (EET) rates and limited bacteria loading capacity of MFCs anode materials present challenges in achieving high power output. In this study, three-dimensionally heteroatom-doped carbonized grape (CG) monoliths with a macroporous structure were successfully fabricated using a facile and low-cost route and employed as independent anodes in MFCs for treating brewery wastewater. The CG obtained at 900 °C (CG-900) exhibited excellent biocompatibility. When integrated into MFCs, these units initiated electricity generation a mere 1.8 days after inoculation and swiftly reached a peak output voltage of 658 mV, demonstrating an exceptional areal power density of 3.71 W m⁻². The porous structure of the CG-900 anode facilitated efficient ion transport and microbial community succession, ensuring sustained operational excellence. Remarkably, even when nutrition was interrupted for 30 days, the voltage swiftly returned to its original level. Moreover, the CG-900 anode exhibited a superior capacity for accommodating electricigens, boasting a notably higher abundance of Geobacter spp. (87.1%) compared to carbon cloth (CC, 63.0%). Most notably, when treating brewery wastewater, the CG-900 anode achieved a maximum power density of 3.52 W m⁻², accompanied by remarkable treatment efficiency, with a COD removal rate of 85.5%. This study provides a facile and low-cost synthesis technique for fabricating high-performance MFC anodes for use in microbial energy harvesting.

Key findings

  • The CG obtained at 900 °C (CG-900) exhibited excellent biocompatibility.
  • 8 days after inoculation and swiftly reached a peak output voltage of 658 mV, demonstrating an exceptional areal power density of 3.
  • 71 W m⁻².
  • The porous structure of the CG-900 anode facilitated efficient ion transport and microbial community succession, ensuring sustained operational excellence.
  • Moreover, the CG-900 anode exhibited a superior capacity for accommodating electricigens, boasting a notably higher abundance of Geobacter spp.

Keywords

Microbial fuel cellAnodePower densityCarbonizationPulp and paper industryGeobacter

Identifiers

DOI
10.3390/molecules29122936
Journal
Molecules
Year
2024