Electricity generation with simultaneous wastewater treatment by a microbial fuel cell (MFC) with Cu and Cu–Au electrodes
Fikret Kargi, Serkan Eker
AI summary
70% confidenceA microbial fuel cell (MFC) with Cu and Cu-Au electrodes was used for electricity generation and wastewater treatment, with power density increasing with electrode surface area and COD content.
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Open in lab →What they did
- System
- MFC
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Abstract
Abstract Background: A microbial fuel cell (MFC) consisting of anaerobic and aerobic chambers separated by a salt‐agar slab was used for electricity generation with simultaneous wastewater treatment where copper and gold covered copper wires were used as anode and cathode, respectively. The electrons produced from degradation of carbohydrates in anaerobic chamber traveled through the copper wire generating electricity and the protons were transferred from cathode to anode through the salt‐agar slab. Variation of the current intensity (mA) and the electrical power (mW) were investigated as function of the surface area of anode and also the chemical oxygen demand (COD) content of the synthetic wastewater. Results: The generated power density (mW m −2 ) increased with increasing surface area of the electrodes and also with the COD content of the wastewater. Both the current intensity (mA) and the power generated (mW) increased with time and reached maximum levels at the end of batch operation. More than 80% COD removal was achieved in the aerobic chamber with an electricity generation of 2.9 mW m −2 when the initial COD content was 6000 mg l −1 . Conclusion: The MFC configuration and the use of Cu and Cu‐Au electrodes instead of graphite were proven to be effective for electricity generation with simultaneous wastewater treatment. The electrical current (0.24 mA) and power (2.9 mW m −2 ) obtained in our microbial fuel cell are comparable with the literature studies utilizing salt bridge. The microbial fuel cell developed in this study can be improved further to yield higher power generations by modifications. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Key findings
- Generated power density increased with increasing surface area of electrodes.
- Power generated and current intensity increased with time.
- More than 80% COD removal was achieved in the aerobic chamber.
Keywords
Identifiers
- Journal
- Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
- Year
- 2007