Cathode Assessment for Maximizing Current Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells Utilizing Bioethanol Effluent as Substrate
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Results
2.1. Maximum Current Generation Found from the Polarisation Curves
2.2. Resistance in the Anode and Cathode Electrodes
2.3. Current Generation in Relation to Substrate Loading Rate and Switching to Bioethanol Effluent
3. Discussion
3.1. Obtainable Current for the Different Cathode Types
3.2. Potential for Integration of Microbial Fuel Cell in the Bioethanol Biorefinery
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Reactor Setup
4.2. Operational Condition and Inoculation
4.3. Preparation of Bioethanol Effluent
4.4. Chemical and Electrochemical Analysis
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
AiC | Air cathode |
CE | Coulombic efficiency |
COD | Chemical oxygen demand (g) |
DOC | Dissolved oxygen cathode |
Ean | Anode electrode potential (V) |
Eca | Cathode electrode potential (V) |
EIS | Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy |
FeC | Ferricyanide cathode |
Iave | Average current density (A/m2) |
Lsub | Substrate loading rate g·COD/(L·day) |
MFC | Microbial fuel cell |
PTFE | Polytetrafluoroethylene |
Pt/C | Platinized carbon |
Rext | External resistance (Ω) |
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Cathode Type | DOC-MFC | FeC-MFC | AiC-MFC | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part | Anode | Cathode | Cell | Anode | Cathode | Cell | Anode | Cathode | Cell |
Unit | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 | Ωm2 |
Ohmic resistance | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.07 | 0.02 | |||
Internal resistance | 0.08 | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.07 | 0.11 | 0.18 | 0.22 | 0.10 | 0.32 |
Parameters | DOC-MFC | FeC-MFC | AiC-MFC | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Period | Time | Lsub | Rext | Ean | Eca | Iave | CE | Ean | Eca | Iave | CE | Ean | Eca | Iave | CE |
Unit | Day | g·COD/L/d | Ω | mV | mV | mA/m2 | % | mV | mV | mA/m2 | % | mV | mV | mA/m2 | % |
1 | 11 | 0.5 | 150 | −470 | −290 | 142 | 18 | −440 | 140 | 444 | 41 | −370 | 150 | 403 | 25 |
2 | 3 | 0.5 | 150 | −470 | −290 | 146 | 7 | −420 | 150 | 457 | 22 | −340 | 160 | 397 | 18 |
3 | 2 | 1.0 | 150 | −470 | −290 | 145 | 6 | −420 | 160 | 445 | 16 | −440 | 150 | 438 | 13 |
4 | 2 | 1.0 | 75 | −470 | −340 | 173 | 15 | −390 | 140 | 691 | 36 | −430 | 100 | 684 | 33 |
5 | 2 | 1.0 | 47 | −460 | −390 | 186 | 19 | −360 | 160 | 1114 | 62 | −370 | 50 | 920 | 49 |
6 | 4 | 2.0 | 47 | −460 | −390 | 184 | 5 | −390 | 140 | 1279 | 30 | −400 | 50 | 1043 | 23 |
7 | 2 | 2.0 | 27 | −420 | −390 | 184 | 4 | −340 | 140 | 1640 | 28 | −50 | 100 | 802 | 12 |
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Sun, G.; Thygesen, A.; Meyer, A.S. Cathode Assessment for Maximizing Current Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells Utilizing Bioethanol Effluent as Substrate. Energies 2016, 9, 388. https://doi.org/10.3390/en9050388
Sun G, Thygesen A, Meyer AS. Cathode Assessment for Maximizing Current Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells Utilizing Bioethanol Effluent as Substrate. Energies. 2016; 9(5):388. https://doi.org/10.3390/en9050388
Chicago/Turabian StyleSun, Guotao, Anders Thygesen, and Anne S. Meyer. 2016. "Cathode Assessment for Maximizing Current Generation in Microbial Fuel Cells Utilizing Bioethanol Effluent as Substrate" Energies 9, no. 5: 388. https://doi.org/10.3390/en9050388