Studies on the Recovery of Energy From Various Wastewater Sources Using Microbial Fuel Cell

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a sustainable method of treating wastewater and producing electricity simultaneously. The current study utilizes graphite, aluminium, stainless steel, galvanized iron, and brass electrodes to assess the performance of MFCs using a variety of real-world wastewater samples, including those from slaughterhouses, fish markets, and dairy farms. The wastewater from dairy plants loaded into MFCs with graphite electrodes performed better than other metal-based electrodes, with an open-circuit voltage of 289 mV, a power density of 412 W/m 2 , and a current density of 1,450 mA/m 2 . The results of other reactors varied: Fish market wastewater with graphite electrode (270 mV, 87.78 mW/m 2 , 325.13 mA/m 2 ), slaughterhouse wastewater (SWMFC) with graphite electrode (4.05 mV, 279.19 mW/m 2 , 1080 mA/m 2 ), and SWMFC with brass electrode (4.23 mV, 1211 mW/m 2 , 460 mA/m 2 ). When considering chemical oxygen demand, SWMFC achieved maximum removal efficiency of 90% for graphite and 88% for brass. Additionally, the electrogenic activity of Raoultella ornithinolytica and Comamonas testosteroni in MFCs that treat wastewater from slaughterhouse sources was assessed. Graphite electrodes coated with R. ornithinolytica generated more power and current, while brass electrodes coated with C. testosteroni generated higher voltage. To guide future scale-up processes and component optimization, these results highlight the critical roles that microbial populations and electrode material play in MFC efficiency.

Identifiers

DOI

10.5772/geet20250017

Journal

Green Energy and Environmental Technology

Year

2026