Parameters Influencing Power Generation in Eco-friendly Microbial Fuel Cells

keywords:microbial fuel cell  bioenergy  biofilm  power density  effluent

Abstract:Pulp and papermaking industries generate high volumes of carbohydrate-rich effluents. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is based on organic materials’ consumption?and efficient power production. Using a classical two-chamber lab-scale MFC design with an external resistance of 2000 W, we investigated the effects of anode chamber biofilm adaptation (ACBA) and cathode chamber redox solutions (CCRS) on the operation efficiency of MFC when treating wastewater. In ACBA studies, biofilm growth activation showed an increase in the power density to 20.48, 35.18, and 36.98 mW/m² when the acetate feeding concentrations were 3, 6, and 12 g/L, respectively. Improvement by biofilm adhesion on granular activated carbon (GAC) was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained power density increased to 25.47, 33.42, and 40.39 mW/m² when the GAC particles concentrations were 0, 50, and 100 g/L, respectively. The generated power densities were 51.26 and 40.39 mW/m² as well as the obtained voltages were 0.41 and 0.72 V when the electrode area increased from 16 to 64 cm²², current density of 0.094 A/m², and voltage of 1.20 V with a successful organic removal efficiency of 86.0% after 264 h of operation.