Search results for "Microbial Fuel Cell"
showing 10 items of 49 documents
Anodic biofilm vitality during operation of microbial fuel cells at various load conditions
2016
Heterogeneous electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton processes: A critical review of fundamental principles and application for water/wastewater trea…
2018
Abstract This exhaustive review focuses on the fundamental principles and applications of heterogeneous electrochemical wastewater treatment based on Fenton’s chemistry reaction. The elementary equations involved in formation of hydroxyl radical in homogeneous electro-Fenton (EF) and photo electro-Fenton (PEF) processes was presented and the advantages of using insoluble solids as heterogeneous catalyst rather than soluble iron salts (heterogeneous electro-Fenton process) (Hetero-EF) was enumerated. Some of the required features of good heterogeneous catalysts were discussed, followed by the mechanisms of catalytic activation of H2O2 to reactive oxygen species (ROS) especially hydroxyl radi…
Using Matlab's wavelet toolbox to compare electric signals outputted by microbial fuel cells
2019
Motivation: microbial fuel cells (MFC) represents a wastewater treatment technology with the potential for a relevant electric energy generation. The monitoring of the electric current outputted generates time series of data. It was generated two time series using an experimental setup with a low-cost dual chamber microbial fuel cell treating cassava wastewater and, also, it was used the electric current data from a previously described experiment with this same setup treating cheese whey. All of this, innovatively, according our best knowledge, was studied using power spectral density, multifractal and wavelet coherence analysis. Results are promising and indeed point out this approach as …
Effect of sludge age on microbial consortia developed in MFCs
2017
BACKGROUND This work is focused on the assessment of the performance of mini-scale air-breathing microbial fuel cells (MFCs), by monitoring the evolution of the bio-electrogenic activity for a period of 40 days and by comparing the microorganisms populations developed in each of the MFC after this period. RESULTS Five MFCs were operated at sludge ages ranging from 1.4 to 10.0 days. Results showed the superb performance of the MFC operating under a sludge age of 2.5 days. Desulfuromonas, Syntrophothermus, Solitalea, Acholeplasma, Propionicimonas, Desulfobacula and Sphaerochaeta are proposed as potential responsible for the bio-electrogenic activity. CONCLUSIONS Microbial population analysis …
Development of a module of stacks of air-breathing microbial fuel cells to light-up a strip of LEDs
2018
Abstract This work focuses on scaling-up of the microbial fuel cells technology according to the principle of miniaturization and multiplication. Seven stacks of 16 mini-MFCs (electrodic area of 0.866 cm2) were built up leading to a big module of 112 MFCs. The electrical connection among the MFCs in the stacks and among the stacks into the modules was optimized in order to implement this technology. Results show that 1 MFC generates 1.22 mW while the optimization of the electric connection in order to achieve the maximum power results in 6.62 mW compared to the theoretical 182 mW, indicating the existence of large energy losses in the system. However, to light a LED there is not a threshold…
On the staking of miniaturized air-breathing microbial fuel cells
2018
Abstract This work focuses on the scale-up of the MFCs by miniaturization and multiplication strategy. Performances of five stacks containing 1, 2, 5, 8 and 16 MFCs were compared. Each stack was evaluated under individual, parallel and series electrical connection as well as for cascade or individual hydraulic connection. Cascade feeding mode with a tank per stack favours the COD removal when the number of MFCs in the stack increases. However, despite operating without COD limitations, the energy production was disadvantaged. By changing the feeding system of a tank per stack into an individual tank per MFC, the performance of the whole stack enhances considerably. Stacking in series can in…
A single-chamber membraneless microbial fuel cell exposed to air using Shewanella putrefaciens
2016
Abstract Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical devices which convert the chemical energy content of organic fuels into electricity, thanks to the ability of anode respiring bacteria to give electrons to the anode. This result is usually achieved under anaerobic conditions, obtained with a sealed anode chamber. Despite this, Shewanella oneidensis has been recognized by many authors to obtain the same results in presence of air. Furthermore, another member of the Pseudomonaceae family, Shewanella putrefaciens, has also shown the capability to catalyze the cathodic oxygen reduction. In this work the capability of S. putrefaciens to work under both anaerobic and micro-aerobic cond…
Possibility of Wastewater Treatment Using MFC with Ni-Co Catalyst of Fuel Electrode
2016
Abstract One of the problems with microbial fuel cells is a low current density of those energy sources. Nonetheless, it is possible to increase the current density by using the catalyst for fuel electrode (anode) - as long as a low cost catalyst can be found. The possibility of wastewater treatment using the Ni-Co alloy as catalyst for MFC’s is presented in this paper. The alloys were obtained with different concentrations of Co (15 and 50% of Co). The increase of current density with Ni-Co catalyst is approximately 0,1 mA/cm2. So, a fundamental possibility wastewater treatment using the Ni-Co alloy as catalyst for microbial fuel cells was presented.