• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.532-537
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• 2022

The need for obtaining treated wastewater that meets high quality standards for discharge or reuse necessitates the use of highly efficient wastewater treatment techniques. In the present study, experiments have been carried out to reduce the concentration level of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total dissolved solids (TDS) from the wastewater sample. Treatment of sample of a real municipal wastewater collected from a sewage treatment plant (STP) was carried out in an electrochemical membrane bioreactor (EMBR). The EMBR was operated continuously for five days, and readings were taken at regular intervals. This paper has experimental results conducted in EMBR that indicate reduction of BOD, COD, and TDS levels of up to 32.25%, 29.25%, and 31.93%, respectively. Further, it was observed that a current of magnitude of 0.00752 mA was generated due to the metabolic activities of bacteria present in municipal wastewater, which gradually decreased day by day due to the decay of bacteria.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.303-310
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• 2023

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a bioelectrochemical system where electrochemically active bacteria convert organic waste into electricity. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) are polymers that have been studied as potential alternative ion exchange membranes to Nafion for many electrochemical systems. This study examined the optimal mixing ratio of PVA and chitosan CS in a PVA:CS composite membrane for MFC applications. PVA:CS composite membranes with 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 ratios were synthesized and tested. The water uptake and ion exchange capacity, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and scanning electron microscopy images were analyzed to determine the physicochemical properties of PVA:CS membranes. The prepared membranes were applied to the ion exchange membrane of the MFC system, and their effects on the electrochemical performance were evaluated. These results showed that the composite membrane with a 3:1 (PVA:CS) ratio showed comparable performance to the commercialized Nafion membrane and produced more electricity than the other synthesized membranes. The PVA:CS membrane implemented MFCs produced a maximum power density of 0.026 mW cm^-2 from organic waste with stable performance. Therefore, it can be applied to a cost-effective MFC system.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: In recent years, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have emerged as a promising technology for recovering renewable energy from waste biomass, especially wastewater. In this study, the possibility of bioelectricity generation in two chambered mediator-less microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was successfully demonstrated using fermentable and non-fermentable substrates. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two different electron acceptors have been tested in the cathode chamber for the effects of reducing agent on the power generation in MFCs. The average voltages of $0.26{\pm}0.014$ V and $0.36{\pm}0.02$ V were achieved with acetate using oxygen and potassium ferricyanide as reducing agent, respectively. Similarly, with glucose the average voltages of $0.256{\pm}0.05$ V and $0.340{\pm}0.04$ V were obtained using oxygen and ferricyanide, respectively. Using potassium ferricyanide as the reducing agent, the power output increases by 39 and 43% with acetate and glucose, respectively, as compared to the dissolved oxygen. Slightly higher coulombic efficiency (CE%) was obtained in acetate as compared to MFCs operated with glucose. The maximum power densities of 124 mW/$m^2$ and 204 mW/$m^2$ were obtained using dissolved oxygen and $K_3Fe(CN)_6$, respectively. CONCLUSION(s): This study demonstrates that power generation from the MFCs can be influenced significantly by the different types of catholyte. Relatively higher CE was obtained with $K_3Fe(CN)_6$. Thus, application of $K_3Fe(CN)_6$ as the catholyte can be vital for scaling uppower generation from the MFCs forreal time applications.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.297-301
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• 2021

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) convert chemical energy to electrical energy via electrochemically active microorganisms. The interactions between microbes and the surface of a carbon electrode play a vital role in capturing the respiratory electrons from bacteria. Therefore, improvements in the electrochemical and physicochemical properties of carbon materials are essential for increasing performance. In this study, a microwave and sulfuric acid treatment was used to modify the surface structure of graphite granules. The prepared expandable graphite granules (EGG) exhibited a 1.5 times higher power density than the unmodified graphite granules (1400 vs. 900 mW/m³). Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed improved physical and chemical characteristics of the EGG surface. These results suggest that physical and chemical surface modification using sulfuric acid and microwave heating improves the performance of electrode-based bioprocesses, such as MFCs.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.172-179
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• 2023

Biofouling initiated by biofilm (slime) formation is a key challenge for practical ocean engineering and construction. This study evaluated a new anti-biofilm technology using bioelectricity. The anti-microfouling electrical technology is based on the principles of the bioelectric effect, known as the application of an electrostatic force for biofilm removal. Previously, the electricity was optimized below 0.82V to avoid electrolysis, which can prevent the production of biocides. A test boat comprised of microelectronics for electrical signal generation with electrodes for an anti-biofouling effect was developed. The tests were conducted in the West Sea of Korea (Wangsan Marina, Incheon) for three weeks. The surface biofouling was quantified. A significant reduction of fouling was observed under the bioelectric effect conditions, with approximately 30% enhanced prevention of fouling progress (P<0.05). This technology can be an alternative eco-friendly technique for anti-microfouling that can be applied for canals, vessels, and coastal infrastructure because it does not induce electrolysis.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.363-367
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• 2014

One chambered sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) was equipped with Fe, brass (Cu/Zn), Fe/Zn, Cu, Cu/carbon cloth and graphite felt anode. Graphite felt was used as common cathode. The SMFC was membrane-less and mediator-less as well. Order of anodic performance on the basis of power density was Fe/Zn ($6.90Wm^{-2}$) > Fe ($6.03Wm^{-2}$) > Cu/carbon cloth ($2.13Wm^{-2}$) > Cu ($1.13Wm^{-2}$) > brass ($Cu/Zn=0.24Wm^{-2}$) > graphite felt ($0.10Wm^{-2}$). Fe/Zn composite anode have twisted 6.73% more power than Fe alone, Cu/carbon cloth boosted power production by 65%, and brass (Cu/Zn) produced 65% less power than Cu alone. Graphite felt have shown the lowest electricity generation because of its poor galvanic potential. The estuarine sediment served as supplier of oxidants or electron producing microbial flora, which evoked electrons via a complicated direct microbial electron transfer mechanism or making biofilm, respectively. Oxidation reduction was kept to be stationary over time except at the very initial period (mostly for sediment positioning) at anodes. Based on these findings, cost effective and efficient anodic material can be suggested for better SMFC configurations and stimulate towards practical value and application.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.681-686
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• 2010

Two different MFC designs were evaluated in batch mode: single compartment combined membrane-electrodes (SCME) design and twin-compartment brush-type anode electrodes (TBE) design (single chamber with two air cathodes and brush anodes at each side of the reactor). In SCME MFC, carbon anode and cathode electrodes were assembled with a proton exchange membrane (PEM). TBE MFC was consisted of brush-type anode and carbon cloth cathode electrodes without the PEM. A brush-type anode was fabricated with carbon fibers and was placed close to the cathode electrode to reduce the internal resistance. Substrates used in this study were glucose, leachate from cattle manure, or sucrose at different concentrations with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) of 200 mM to increase the conductivity thereby reduce the internal resistance. Hydrogen generating bacteria (HGB) were only inoculated in TBE MFC. The peak power densities ($P_{peak}$) produced from the SCME systems fed with glucose and leachate were 18.8 and $28.7mW/m^2$ at external loads of 1000 ohms, respectively. And the $P_{peak}$ produced from TBE MFC were 40.1 and $18.3mW/m^2$ at sucrose concentration of 5 g/L and external loads of 470 ohms, with a mediator (2-hydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone) and without the mediator, respectively. The maximum power density ($P_{max}$) produced from mediator present TBE MFC was $115.3mW/m^2$ at 47 ohms of an external resistor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.2171-2178
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• 2016

Polyester cloth (PC) was selected as a prospective inexpensive substitute separator material for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). PC was compared with a traditional Nafion proton exchange membrane (PEM) as an MFC separator by analyzing its physical and electrochemical properties. A single layer of PC showed higher mass transfer (e.g., for $O_2/H^+/ions$) than the Nafion PEM; in the case of oxygen mass transfer coefficient ($k_o$), a rate of $50.0{\times}10^{-5} cm{\cdot}s^{-1}$ was observed compared with a rate of $20.8{\times}10^{-5}cm/s$ in the Nafion PEM. Increased numbers of PC layers were found to reduce the oxygen mass transfer coefficient. In addition, the diffusion coefficient of oxygen ($D_O$) for PC ($2.0-3.3{\times}10^{-6}cm^2/s$) was lower than that of the Nafion PEM ($3.8{\times}10^{-6}cm^2/s$). The PC was found to have a low ohmic resistance ($0.29-0.38{\Omega}$) in the MFC, which was similar to that of Nafion PEM ($0.31{\Omega}$); this resulted in comparable maximum power density and maximum current density in MFCs with PC and those with Nafion PEMs. Moreover, a higher average current generation was observed in MFCs with PC ($104.3{\pm}15.3A/m^3$) compared with MFCs with Nafion PEM ($100.4{\pm}17.7A/m^3$), as well as showing insignificant degradation of the PC surface, during 177 days of use in swine wastewater. These results suggest that PC separators could serve as a low-cost alternative to Nafion PEMs for construction of cost-effective MFCs.