Comparative Assessment of Microbial-Fuel-Cell Operating Parameters
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 9
Abstract
In this paper, simultaneous wastewater treatment and power generation of fed-batch microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been analyzed by introducing a stepwise variation in temperature, pH, and cathodic electrolyte. Different ranges of operational parameters were applied to enriched biofilm (30 days) for 2 weeks to evaluate system performance through polarization studies and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate. Increasing the electrolyte temperature from 37°C to 45°C resulted in higher voltage output () and increased COD removal efficiency (84.5%). The cell potential of MFCs was also enhanced up to 398.9 mV by optimizing anodic pH to 7. Further increase in the current production () was observed with cathodic electrolyte 100 mM phosphate-buffered saline of higher reductive strength, primarily as a result of the overcoming system proton transfer limitation. This study provides a detailed parametric analysis of operating parameters and assists in process optimization.
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Acknowledgments
All authors have contributed equally in this research paper.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 9 • September 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 27, 2017
Accepted: Apr 2, 2020
Published online: Jun 18, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 18, 2020
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