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

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.

Key findings

• ▸Different materials for the cathode and anode rods affect the efficiency of the MFC process.
• ▸Oxidizing agents such as Copper Sulphate and Potassium Hexacyanoferrate impact the performance of the MFC.
• ▸The power output is influenced by the area, volume of the bacterial solution, air supply, and stirring.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.3390/en13205458

Journal

Energies

Year

2020