• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.635-640
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• 2016

Although microbial fuel cell (MFC) can produce electricity from organics in wastewater, nitrogen removal is required for application of process for wastewater treatment plant. This study developed flat-panel air-cathode MFCs (FA-MFCs) comprised of two large separator electrode assemblies (SEAs) and evaluate total nitrogen removal according to three inoculum sources and pre-nitrification acclimation. The nitrification efficiencies were >99% regardless of inoculum sources under the phase for pre-nitrification acclimation. The total nitrogen removal efficiencies of FA-MFCs without pre-nitrification acclimation were the highest at the low organic conditions (<300 mg-COD/L) under the phase for nitrification and denitrification. The increase of organic concentration influenced the total nitrogen removal efficiency, positively. The organics were removed >95% but were not used for heterotrophic denitrification totally. This study suggests that application of FA-MFC system for wastewater treatment can allow the simultaneous removal of organic and nitrogen compounds, although this affects the low electricity production.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2024

Plant Microbial Fuel Cells (P-MFCs) are biomass-based energy technologies that generate electricity from plant and root microbial communities and are suitable for natural fundamental solutions considering sustainable environments. In order to develop P-MFC technology suitable for domestic waterfront space, it is necessary to analyze international research trends first. Therefore, in this study, 700 P-MFC-related research papers were investigated in Web of Science, and the core keywords were derived using VOSviewer, a word analysis program, and the research trends were analyzed. First, P-MFC-related research has been on the rise since 1998, especially since the mid to late 2010s. The number of papers submitted by each country was "China," "U.S." and "India." Since the 2010s, interest in P-MFCs has increased, and the number of publications in the Philippines, Ukraine, and Mexico, which have abundant waterfront space and wetland environments, is increasing. Secondly, from the perspective of research trends in different periods, 1998-2015 mainly carried out microbial fuel cell performance verification research in different environments. The 2016-2020 period focuses on the specific conditions of microbial fuel cell use, the structure of P-MFC and how it develops. From 2021 to 2023, specific research on constraints and efficiency improvement in the development of P-MFC was carried out. The P-MFC-related international research trends identified through this study can be used as useful data for developing technologies suitable for domestic waterfront space in the future. In addition to this study, further research is needed on research trends and levels in subsectors, and in order to develop and revitalize P-MFC technologies in Korea, research on field applicability should be expanded and policies and systems improved.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.252.1-252.1
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• 2010

These studies convert to useful electricity from swine wastewater and to treat this wastewater. In order to operate the microbial fuel cell(MFC) for the swine wastewater, the anode volume of MFCs was scaled up with 5L in the vacant condition. Graphite felts and low-priced mesh stainless-less as electrode had mixed up and packed into the anode compartment. The meshed stainless-less electrode could also be acted the collector of electron produced by microorganisms in anode. For a cathode compartment, graphite felt loaded Pt/C catalyst was used. Graphite felt electrode embedded in the anode compartment was punched holds at regular intervals to prevent occurred the channeling phenomenon. The sources of seeding on microbial fuel cell was used a mixture of swine wastewater and anaerobic digestion sludge(1:1). It was enriched within 6 days. Swine wastewater was fed with 53.26 ml/min flow rate. The MFCs produced a current of about 17 mA stably used swine wastewater with $3,167{\pm}80mg/L$. The maximum power density and current density was 680 $mW/m^3$ and 3,770 $mA/m^3$, respectively. From these results it is showed that treatment of swine wastewater synchronizes with electricity generation using modified low priced microbial fuel cell.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1765-1773
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• 2013

The cathode reaction is one of the most seriously limiting factors in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). The critical dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of a platinum-loaded graphite electrode was reported as 2.2 mg/l, about 10-fold higher than an aerobic bacterium. A series of MFCs were run with the cathode compartment inoculated with activated sludge (biotic) or not (abiotic) on platinum-loaded or bare graphite electrodes. At the beginning of the operation, the current values from MFCs with a biocathode and abiotic cathode were $2.3{\pm}0.1$ and $2.6{\pm}0.2mA$, respectively, at the air-saturated water supply in the cathode. The current from MFCs with an abiotic cathode did not change, but that of MFCs with a biotic cathode increased to 3.0 mA after 8 weeks. The coulomb efficiency was 59.6% in the MFCs with a biotic cathode, much higher than the value of 15.6% of the abiotic cathode. When the DO supply was reduced, the current from MFCs with an abiotic cathode decreased more sharply than in those with a biotic cathode. When the respiratory inhibitor azide was added to the catholyte, the current decreased in MFCs with a biotic cathode but did not change in MFCs with an abiotic cathode. The power density was higher in MFCs with a biotic cathode ($430W/m^3$ cathode compartment) than the abiotic cathode MFC ($257W/m^3$ cathode compartment). Electron microscopic observation revealed nanowire structures in biofilms that developed on both the anode and on the biocathode. These results show that an electron-consuming bacterial consortium can be used as a cathode catalyst to improve the cathode reaction.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2018

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an innovative environmental and energy system that converts organic wastewater into electrical energy. For practical implementation of MFC as a wastewater treatment process, a number of limitations need to be overcome. Improving cathodic performance is one of major challenges, and introduction of a current collector can be an easy and practical solution. In this study, three types of current collectors made of stainless steel (SS) were tested in a single-chamber cubic MFC. The three current collectors had different contact areas to the cathode (P $1.0cm^2$; PC $4.3cm^2$; PM $6.5cm^2$) and increasing the contacting area enhanced the power and current generations and coulombic and energy recoveries by mainly decreasing cathodic charge transfer impedance. Application of the SS mesh to the cathode (PM) improved maximum power density, optimum current density and maximum current density by 8.8%, 3.6% and 6.7%, respectively, comparing with P of no SS mesh. The SS mesh decreased cathodic polarization resistance by up to 16%, and cathodic charge transfer impedance by up to 39%, possibly because the SS mesh enhanced electron transport and oxygen reduction reaction. However, application of the SS mesh had little effect on ohmic impedance.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1861-1872
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• 2019

In the present work, we isolated and identified Aspergillus sydowii NYKA 510 as the most potent laccase producer. Its medium constituents were optimized to produce the highest possible amount of laccase, which was after 7 days at 31℃ and pH 5.2. Banana peel and peptone excelled in inducing laccase production at concentrations of 15.1 and 2.60 g/l, respectively. Addition of copper sulfate elevated enzyme yield to 145%. The fungus was employed in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). The best performance was obtained at 2000 Ω achieving 0.76 V, 380 mAm^-2, 160 mWm^-2, and 0.4 W. A project to design a self-sufficient lighting unit was implemented by employing a system of 2 sets of 4 MFCs each, connected in series, for electricity generation. A scanning electron microscopy image of A. sydowii NYKA 510 was utilized in algorithmic form generation equations for the design. The mixed patterning and patterned customized mass approach were developed by the authors and chosen for application in the design.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2014

The composite anodes of exfoliated graphite (EG) and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were fabricated by using the binders with different content of epoxy in Nafion solution. The influence of the epoxy content in the anode binder on the performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC) was examined in a batch reactor. With the increase in the epoxy content in the anode binder, increase in physical binding force was observed, but at the same time an increase in the internal resistance of MFC was also observed. This was due to the increase in activation and ohmic resistance. For the anode binder without epoxy, the maximum power density was $1,892mW/m^2$, but a decrease in maximum power density was observed with the increase in the epoxy content in the anode binder. With the epoxy content of 50% in the anode binder, a decrease in the maximum power density to $1,425mW/m^2$ was observed, which about 75.3% of the anode binder without epoxy is. However, the material consisting of the same amount of epoxy and Nafion solution is a good alternative for anode binder in terms of durability and economics of MFC.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.219.1-219.1
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• 2011

These studies carried out to know the effect of ammonium on the current generation in the microbial fuel cells (MFCs). MFCs used in the study were enriched with anaerobic digestion sludge and operated for 3 years using artificial wastewater (AWW). When the current was stably generated, ammonium ion with $27.0{\pm}0.0$, $51.5{\pm}0.0$, $103.5{\pm}0.0mg/L$ with acetate fed into the anode compartment. The current values under condition included ammonium were changed from its initial $6.30{\pm}0.06$ to $6.28{\pm}0.36$, $5.95{\pm}0.61$, $5.64{\pm}0.38mA$, respectively. The current value was slightly decreased to $5.64{\pm}0.38mA$ compared to $6.30{\pm}0.06mA$ generated from MFC without ammonium ion in the AWW. But After 3days operating under ammonium concentration with $103.5{\pm}0.0mg/L$, the current was unstably generated when artificial wastewater without ammonium was fed again. MFC enriched with AWW without ammonium ion was inhibited by high concentration of ammonium. At this time, the ammonium was removed 5.27~16.41 mg per day under all conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1707-1718
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• 2014

In this study, the phylogenetic diversities of bacterial and archaeal communities in a plant-microbial fuel cell (P-MFC) were investigated together with the environmental parameters, affecting its performance by using rice as a model plant. The beneficial effect of the plant appeared only during a certain period of the rice-growing season, at which point the maximum power density was approximately 3-fold higher with rice plants. The temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH in the cathodic and anodic compartments changed considerably during the rice-growing season, and a higher temperature, reduced difference in pH between the cathodic and anodic compartments, and higher EC were advantageous to the performance of the P-MFC. A 16S rRNA pyrosequencing analysis showed that the 16S rRNAs of Deltaproteobacteria and those of Gammaproteobacteria were enriched on the anodes and the cathodes, respectively, when the electrical circuit was connected. At the species level, the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to Rhizobiales, Geobacter, Myxococcus, Deferrisoma, and Desulfobulbus were enriched on the anodes, while an OTU related to Acidiferrobacter thiooxydans occupied the highest proportion on the cathodes and occurred only when the circuit was connected. Furthermore, the connection of the electrical circuit decreased the abundance of 16S rRNAs of acetotrophic methanogens and increased that of hydrogenotrophic methanogens. The control of these physicochemical and microbiological factors is expected to be able to improve the performance of P-MFCs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1094-1101
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• 2010

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) were enriched using sediment Nakdong river, Hoidong river and protected water area in Gijang. The microbial community of sediment and enriched MFC was analyzed by FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) and 16S rDNA sequencing. ${\alpha}$-Proteobacteria, Acidobacter and Cyanobactia group were dominant in sediment by FISH. The coulombs of the final 10 peak of the 3 MFC (Nakdong, Hoidong, Gijang) were 0.64 C, 0.50 C, 0.61 C, respectively. When MFCs were enriched by sediment, ${\beta}$-, ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria, Acidobacter and Firmicutes group increased 45~90%, 50~90%, 40~80% and 45~125%, respectively. In results of 16S rDNA sequencing, Roseomonas sp., Azospillium sp., Frateuria sp., Dyella sp., Enterobacter sp. and Deinocossus were isolated from Nakdong river and Azospillium sp., Delftia sp., Ralstonia sp., Klebsiella sp. and Deinococcus sp. were isolated from protected water area in Gijang and Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp., Deinococcus sp., Leifsonia sp. and Bacillus sp. were isolated from Hoidong river.