A comparison of air and hydrogen peroxide oxygenated microbial fuel cell reactors

In this study, a two-compartment continuous flow microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactor was used to compare the efficiencies of cathode oxygenation by air and by hydrogen peroxide. The MFC reactor had neither a proton-selective membrane nor an electron transfer mediator. At startup, the cathodic compartment was continuously aerated and the anodic compartment was fed with a glucose solution. An increase of electrical power generation from 0.008 to 7.2 mW m(-2) of anode surface with a steady-state potential of 215-225 mV was observed within a period of 12 days. The performance of the air-oxygenated MFC reactor progressively declined over time because of biofilm proliferation in the cathodic compartment. Oxygenation of the cathodic compartment using 300 mL d(-1) of 0.3% hydrogen peroxide solution resulted in a power density of up to 22 mW m(-2) (68.2 mA m(-2)) of anode surface at a potential of 340-350 mV. The use of H2O2 for oxygenation was found to improve the long-term stability of the MFC reactor.     

An innovative miniature microbial fuel cell fabricated using photolithography

Recently microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have attracted increasing interests in both environmental and energy fields. Among the various MFC configurations, miniature microbial fuel cell (mini-MFC) has a great potential for the application in medical, communication and other areas because of its miniature volume and high output power density. In this work, a 25-μL single-chamber mini-MFC was fabricated using the photolithography technique. The plate-shaped gold anodic electrode in the mini-MFC showed a higher electrochemical activity than the stripe-shaped one. A biofilm of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was formed on the surface of gold electrode in this micro-liter-scale MFCs. As a result, a maximum power density of 29 mW/m(2) and a maximum current density of 2148 mA/m(2) were achieved by this single-chamber mini-MFC.     

Effect of operating modes on simultaneous anaerobic sulfide and nitrate removal in microbial fuel cell

The effect of operating modes on the simultaneous sulfide and nitrate removal were studied in two-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The batch and continuous operating modes were compared and evaluated in terms of substrate removal and electricity generation. Upon gradual increase in the influent sulfide concentration from 60 to 1,020 S mg L^?1, and the hydraulic retention time decrease from 17.2 to 6 h, the MFC accomplished a good substrate removal efficiency whereby nitrogen and sulfate were the main end products. The removal efficiency of the MFC in the continuous mode was much higher than that in the batch mode, and its current densities in the continuous mode were more stable and higher than in the batch mode, which could be explained by the linear relationship between electrons released by the substrates and accepted on the electrodes. The electricity output in the continuous mode of the MFC was higher than that in the batch mode. MFC's operation in the continuous mode was a better strategy for the simultaneous treatment of sulfide and nitrate.     

Resource recovery from paddy field using plant microbial fuel cell

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a recently developed energy-generating technology that supports sustainable agriculture. Design configuration is the key bottleneck in optimization and upscaling of paddy based PMFCs. In this study, two designs (Type-I (horizontal) and Type-II (vertical)) of terracotta based ceramic PMFCs (C-PMFC) are incorporated into the paddy field to recover nutrients, energy, and water (“NEW”) resources. The peak voltage generated in Type-I and Type-II C-PMFC was 292.1 mV and 321.7 mV respectively. The polarisation study in the ripening phase of paddy showed a maximum power density of 9.1 mW/m² (type-I) and 16.8 mW/m² (type-II). The volume of catholyte recovered is observed to be dependent on the C-PMFC performance and growth phases of the paddy. In the entire 10 weeks of the experimental period, a total of 451 mL and 943 mL of catholyte was collected at 100Ω load in type-I and type-II, respectively. The collected catholyte is alkaline in nature and maximum catholyte recovery is achieved at the active tillering phase and declined with the advancement of the development stages of the plant. Osmotic and electro-osmotic migration of various nutrients like ammonium from the paddy field to cathode chamber of C-PMFC is observed throughout the experiment.     

Electricity production from xylose using a mediator-less microbial fuel cell

Electricity generation integrated with xylose degradation was investigated in a two-chamber mediator-less microbial fuel cell (MFC). Voltage output followed saturation kinetics as a function of xylose concentration for concentration below 9.7 mM, with a predicted maximum of 86 mV (6.3 mW m(-2) or 116 mW m(-3)) and half-saturation constant (K(s)) of 0.29 mM. Xylose concentrations from 0.5 mM to 1.5 mM resulted in coulombic efficiencies and maximum voltage ranging from 41+/-1.6% to 36+/-1.2% and 55+/-2.0 mV to 70+/-3.0 mV respectively. Xylose degradation rate increased with increasing xylose concentration up to 9.7 mM and the predicted maximum degradation rate was 0.13 mM h(-1) and K(s) of 3.0 mM. Stirring by nitrogen in the anode chamber led to 99+/-2.3 mV maximum voltage (8.4+/-0.4 mW m(-2) or 153+/-7.1 mW m(-3)) and 5.9+/-0.3% coulombic efficiency at MFC running time 180 h, which were respectively 17+/-1.2% and 37+/-1.8%, higher than those without stirring. The COD removal under stirring was 22.1+/-0.3%, which was slightly lower than that of 23.7+/-0.4% under no stirring. However, stirring resulted in 59% lower xylose degradation rate. This work demonstrates that xylose can be used in the MFC for electricity production. Comparatively higher electricity generation and coulombic efficiency can be obtained by adjusting initial xylose concentration and applying stirring in the anode chamber.     

Electricity generation using p-nitrophenol as substrate in microbial fuel cell

The cell voltage and degradation rate of p-nitrophenol (PNP) were monitored in a two-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) system. Degradation metabolites in the anode solution of MFC were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). PNP was used as substrate by the MFC that was inoculated with anaerobic sludge. The results showed that electricity output increased with the PNP concentration increased, the MFC displayed a maximum power density of 1.778 mW m⁻² and a maximum PNP degradation rate of 64.69% when PNP was used as a sole substrate. However, the cell voltage and the PNP degradation rate with sodium acetate (402.3 mV and 95.96%) were higher than those fed with glucose (341.9 mV and 83.51%) when glucose and sodium acetate were used as a substrate, respectively. Furthermore, GC–MS analysis showed that the PNP was biodegraded completely after 142 h in the MFC. These results demonstrate that PNP can be used for electricity generation in MFC for practical applications of wastewater treatment.     

Anode microbial communities produced by changing from microbial fuel cell to microbial electrolysis cell operation using two different wastewaters

Conditions in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) differ from those in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) due to the intrusion of oxygen through the cathode and the release of H₂ gas into solution. Based on 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, anode communities in reactors fed acetic acid decreased in species richness and diversity, and increased in numbers of Geobacter sulfurreducens, when reactors were shifted from MFCs to MECs. With a complex source of organic matter (potato wastewater), the proportion of Geobacteraceae remained constant when MFCs were converted into MECs, but the percentage of clones belonging to G. sulfurreducens decreased and the percentage of G. metallireducens clones increased. A dairy manure wastewater-fed MFC produced little power, and had more diverse microbial communities, but did not generate current in an MEC. These results show changes in Geobacter species in response to the MEC environment and that higher species diversity is not correlated with current.     

Bioelectrochemical conversion of waste to energy using microbial fuel cell technology

Numerous traditional methods are available for the conversion of waste to energy (WTE) such as incineration, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, gasification. Most of them suffer from low efficiency and high energy requirements. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is an excellent alternative for the generation of renewable and sustainable energy and has the potential to help alleviate the current global energy crisis. The total wastewater generated in India is almost 250% of the total treatment capacity, and the Government is, therefore, looking for a sustainable solution for the treatment of waste. Indian population consumes around 700 billion cubic meters of water annually, and this figure will rise to 950 and 1422 billion m³ by 2025 and 2050 respectively. Although treatment of wastewater is a serious concern, the energy recovery potential of wastewater has not yet been fully developed. A survey has been conducted through this study, and it was estimated that MFC technology has the potential to generate around 23.3 and 40 Tera Watt (TW) power by 2025 and 2050 by treating wastewater generated throughout India (urban areas) if utilized properly. This review article presents a various aspect of MFC technology for a proper understanding by the readers. This will be a unique study wherein the energy recovery potential of the wastewater produced in the Indian subcontinent has been estimated through MFC technology. A number of factors affecting the performance of MFC such as electron losses, reactor configuration, and varying concentration must be taken into account to augment output energy. The article summarizes an extensive literature survey of some selected papers published in the last decade.     

Removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater using microbial fuel cell

Removal efficiency of gold from a solution of pure tetrachloroaurate ions was investigated using microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. The effects of type of catholyte solution and initial gold concentration on the removal efficiency were considered. Due to its presence at high levels in the gold wastewater, the effect of copper ions on the removal efficiency of the gold ions was also studied. The effects of pH and initial biomass concentration on the gold removal efficiency was also determined. The results showed that after 5 h contact time, 95% of gold removal efficiency from a wastewater containing 250 ppm of initial gold ions at ambient temperature using 80 g/L yeast concentration was achieved. After 48 h of the cell''s operation under the same condition, 98.86% of AuCl₄ ^– ions were successfully removed from the solution. At initial gold concentration in the waste solution of 250 ppm, pH 2, and initial yeast concentration of 80 g/L, 100% removal efficiency of the gold was achieved. On the other hand, the most suitable condition for copper removal was found at a pH of 5.2, where 53% removal efficiency from the waste solution was accomplished.     

Bioelectricity production using a new electrode in a microbial fuel cell

Electrode materials play a key role in enhancing the electricity generation in the microbial fuel cell (MFC). In this study, a new material (Ti-TiO(2)) was used as an anode electrode and compared with a graphite electrode for electricity generation. Current densities were 476.6 and 31 mA/m(2) for Ti-TiO(2) and graphite electrodes, respectively. The PCR-DGGE analysis of enriched microbial communities from estuary revealed that MFC reactors were dominated by Shewanella haliotis, Enterococcus sp., and Enterobacter sp. Bioelectrochemical kinetic works in the MFC with Ti-TiO(2) electrode revealed that the parameters by non-linear curve fitting with the confidence bounds of 95% gave good fit with the kinetic constants of η (difference between the anode potential and anode potential giving one-half of the maximum current density) = 0.35 V, K (s) (Half-saturation constant) = 2.93 mM and J (max) = 0.39 A/m(2) for T = 298 K and F = 96.485 C/mol-e(-). From the results observed, it is clear that Ti-TiO(2) electrode is a promising candidate for electricity generation in MFC.     

Electricity generation using a baffled microbial fuel cell convenient for stacking

To make sure that microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are more convenient to stack, a baffled single-chambered MFC with two groups of electrodes sharing only one anode chamber was designed and the performance was examined. The experiments showed that the prototype MFC generated electrical power (maximum of 133 mW/m(2)) while removing up to 88% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in 91 h. Volumetric power increased as electrode area per anode compartment volume increased, indicating that the MFC with two groups of electrodes was better than that with one group. Power density as a function of wastewater concentration was modeled according to saturation kinetics, with a maximum power density of P(max)=164 mW/m(2) (fixed 100 Omega resistor) and half-saturation concentration of K(s)=259 mg/l. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was examined as a factor influencing the power generation. When it was 15.5h, the voltage and the power density reached the maximum 0.413 V and 108 mW/m(2).     

A microbial biosensor for hydrogen sulfide monitoring based on potentiometry

In this study, a microbial biosensor for hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) detection based on Thiobacillus thioparus immobilized in a gelatin matrix was developed. The T. thioparus was immobilized via either surface adsorption on the gelatin matrix or entrapment in the matrix. The bacterial and gelatin concentration in the support were then varied in order to optimize the sensor response time and detection limit for both methods. The optimization was conducted by a statistical analysis of the measured biosensor response with various bacterial and polymer concentrations. According to our experiments with both immobilization methods, the optimized conditions for the entrapment method were found to be a gelatin concentration of 1% and an optical density of 82. For the surface adsorption method, 0.6% gelatin and an optical density of 88 were selected as the optimal conditions. A statistical model was developed based on the extent of the biosensor response in both methods of immobilization. The maximum change in the potential of the solution was 23.16 mV for the entrapment method and 34.34 mV for the surface absorption method. The response times for the entrapment and adsorption methods were 160 s and 105 s, respectively. The adsorption method is more advantageous for the development of a gas biosensor due to its shorter response time.     

Continuous determination of biochemical oxygen demand using microbial fuel cell type biosensor

A mediator-less microbial fuel cell (MFC) was used as a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensor in an amperometric mode for real-time wastewater monitoring. At a hydraulic retention time of 1.05 h, BOD values of up to 100 mg/l were measured based on a linear relationship, while higher BOD values were measured using a lower feeding rate. About 60 min was required to reach a new steady-state current after the MFCs had been fed with different strength artificial wastewaters (Aws). The current generated from the MFCs fed with AW with a BOD of 100 mg/l was compared to determine the repeatability, and the difference was less than 10%. When the MFC was starved, the original current value was regained with a varying recovery time depending on the length of the starvation. During starvation, the MFC generated a background level current, probably due to an endogenous metabolism.     

Enrichment of microbial electrolysis cell biocathodes from sediment microbial fuel cell bioanodes

Electron-accepting (electrotrophic) biocathodes were produced by first enriching graphite fiber brush electrodes as the anodes in sediment-type microbial fuel cells (sMFCs) using two different marine sediments and then electrically inverting the anodes to function as cathodes in two-chamber bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Electron consumption occurred at set potentials of -439 mV and -539 mV (versus the potential of a standard hydrogen electrode) but not at -339 mV in minimal media lacking organic sources of energy. Results at these different potentials were consistent with separate linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) scans that indicated enhanced activity (current consumption) below only ca. -400 mV. MFC bioanodes not originally acclimated at a set potential produced electron-accepting (electrotrophic) biocathodes, but bioanodes operated at a set potential (+11 mV) did not. CO(2) was removed from cathode headspace, indicating that the electrotrophic biocathodes were autotrophic. Hydrogen gas generation, followed by loss of hydrogen gas and methane production in one sample, suggested hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. There was abundant microbial growth in the biocathode chamber, as evidenced by an increase in turbidity and the presence of microorganisms on the cathode surface. Clone library analysis of 16S rRNA genes indicated prominent sequences most similar to those of Eubacterium limosum (Butyribacterium methylotrophicum), Desulfovibrio sp. A2, Rhodococcus opacus, and Gemmata obscuriglobus. Transfer of the suspension to sterile cathodes made of graphite plates, carbon rods, or carbon brushes in new BESs resulted in enhanced current after 4 days, demonstrating growth by these microbial communities on a variety of cathode substrates. This report provides a simple and effective method for enriching autotrophic electrotrophs by the use of sMFCs without the need for set potentials, followed by the use of potentials more negative than -400 mV.     

微生物燃料电池利用乳酸产电性能与微生物群落分布特征

【目的】为探讨以乳酸为基质的微生物燃料电池(Microbial fuel cell,MFC)产电性能以及微生物群落在阳极膜、悬浮液、阳极沉淀污泥中的分布特征,【方法】试验建立了双室MFC,以乳酸为阳极主要碳源,研究了反应器的启动过程及产电效能,同时以电镜和PCR-变性梯度凝胶电泳(Denaturing gradient gelelectrophoresis,DGGE)技术解析了微生物群落的空间分布特征。【结果】结果表明,反应器启动第7天时外电压达到0.56 V,当外阻为80Ω时,电流密度为415 mA/m2,MFC的功率密度达到最大值82 mW/m2。电镜观察发现大量杆菌附着在阳极表面,结合较为紧密;DGGE图谱显示阳极膜表面微生物与种泥最为相似,与阳极悬浮液、底部沉淀污泥中的主要菌群一致,条带序列与睾丸酮丛毛单胞菌(Comamonas testosteroni)和布氏弓形菌(Arcobacter butzleri)等最为相似。【结论】本研究表明以乳酸为基质MFC可产生较高的功率密度,阳极附着的优势菌与接种污泥来源密切相关。