• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.213-217
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• 2009

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been known as a new alternative energy conversion technology for treating wastewater and producing electricity simultaneously. A MFC converts the chemical energy of the organic compounds to electrical energy through microbial catalysis at the anode under anaerobic conditions. To examine the performance of MFC, in this work, the characteristics of the efficiency of wastewater treatment and generation of electricity was evaluated for sewage. When acetate as a carbon source was added into the sewage, the removal efficiency of COD was increased from 75.7% to 88.2% and the voltage was increased significantly from 0.22 V to 0.4 V. The influence of distance between anode and cathode was examined and the effect of the surface area of anode was investigated under the various external resistances. It was found that the maximum power density was $610mW/m^2$ and power generation was effective when the distance between the electrodes was shorter and the surface area of the anode was smaller.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.169-175
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• 2009

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device to produce a electricity from the oxidation of organic materials using microorganism. Recently many researchers have been studying MFC which is focused as regeneration energy source. Previews studies have focused every each factor that influence the production of electric power. However they didn't study a lot about the correlation among the factors. In order to improve the MFC, we analysed the factors which influencing the generation of electric power of MFC. Also, we made a new compartment to verify the correlations among the factors efficiently. Based on the result obtained from the experiments in the laboratory, we analysed the factors and we suggested a new concept of waste water treatment system to produce electrical energy during the treatment of waste water.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.355-360
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• 2012

The characteristics of power generation were investigated by changing the electrical conductivity from 10 to 40mS/cm using air-cathode microbial fuel cell, which had graphite fiber fabric(GFF) anode. There were three kinds of cathode used: one was carbon cloth cathode coated with Pt, another was carbon nanotube(CNT) cathode with non-precious catalyst of Fe-Cu-Mn, and the other was carbon nanotube(CNT) cathode without any catalyst. When it was operated in batch mode, power density of 1369.5mW/$m^2$ was achieved at conductivity of 20mS/cm. Power density from MFC with CNT cathode coated with multi-catalyst of Fe-Cu-Mn was shown about 985.55mW/$m^2$, which was 75.1% compared the power density of carbon cloth coated with Pt. This meant that CNT cathode coated with multi-catalyst of Fe-Cu-Mn could be an alternative of carbon cloth cathode.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.167-173
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• 2011

The Effects of external resistance on electrical properties such as current density, power density and coulombic efficiency were investigated in two-chamber type MFCs using a ferricyanide as reducing agent. A stable electricity was produced when a constant time elapsed after innoculation of mixed cultures into the anode compartment; voltages from 0.13 to 0.16 V was measured at $50{\Omega}$ of external resistance. When the external resistance was increased, the current density decreased and the power density rapidly increased and then slowly decreased. Big variation of electrical properties was observed in high-current density region due to the concentration loss related with substrate consumption in repeated experiments changing the external resistance. The maximum power density ($175.8mW/m^2$) and coulombic efficiency (46.1%) were obtained at $100{\Omega}$ of the external resistance which is nearest with the internal resistance ($134{\Omega}$) of MFC system.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2012

The effects of operating temperature and electrode gap distance on electricity generation were investigated in two-chamber type MFCs. Voltages across the external resistor $(100\;{\Omega})$ were enhanced approximately 1.4 times by the increase of operating temperature from $30^{\circ}C$ to $34^{\circ}C$. The open circuit voltages (OCVs) were increased by the increase of temperature and the maximum power of MFC was obtained at higher current condition by increasing temperature and reducing electrode gap distance. The maximum power densities were enhanced from 1.9 to 2.4 times according to the experimented electrode gap distances by increasing temperature of $4^{\circ}C$. The electricity generation was increased with the decrease of electrode gap distance. The effects of operating temperature and electrode gap distance were closely connected with the internal resistance of MFC system. That is, the increase of temperature and decrease of electrode gap distance reduced the internal resistance of MFC, resulting in the enhancement of electricity generation of MFC.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2014

The research evaluates the possibility of generating electricity using pyrite containing mine tailings, which are the major cause of acid mine drainage (AMD), by applying iron oxidizing bacteria (in this case, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans) and chemical fuel cell technology. The changes in the aqueous $Fe^{2+}$ concentration, which can represent an ionized form of pyrite, with an initial concentration of 9,000 mg/L were investigated during the 20 d growth period. Both the $Fe^{2+}$ and total iron (i.e., total $Fe^{2+}$)concentrations with or without A. ferrooxidans were observed. The $Fe^{2+}$ concentration decreased to about 6,000 mg/L, in the abiotic condition, while it decreased to about 400 mg/L in the biotic condition. The results showed that the increased $Fe^{2+}$ oxidation in the presence of A. ferrooxidans (i.e., catalytic ability of A. ferrooxidans) can be applied to electricity generation using pyrite containing mine tailings. In the co-presence of A. ferrooxidans and pyrite containing mine tailings, $Fe^{2+}$ oxidation and hence electron production increases, which, in turn, improves current density. This study can be applied to utilize ecological functions of indigenous bacteria in mine areas to enhance electricity generation efficiency.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.719-732
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• 2009

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.225-234
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• 2006

Characteristics of electricity production from major fermentation products (acetate, propionate and butyrate) were evaluated in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). For each substrate, batch and continuous experiments were performed. The batch test result indicated that coulombic efficiency depended on the resistance connected in MFC circuit. With acetate, coulombic efficiency were 87% at $20{\Omega}$, but decreaced to 45% at$220{\Omega}$. In continuous tests, maximum power densities obtained was 220 Q with acetate. The maximum power densities of butyrate, acetate and propionate were 6.8, 6.1, and $5.2mW/m^2$, respectively. Propionate and butyrate were converted into acetate producing high currents. $H_2$ produced during butyrate and propionate probably used to produce electricity. In conclusion, butyrate conversion into acetate was faster than that of propionate with higher electricity production. If the production of propionate is inhibited during fermentation, anaerobically fermented liguor may be effectively applied for MFC.

• 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 Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.489-494
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• 2013

Effects of operating parameters such as hydraulic retention time(HRT), recycle ratio and influent COD concentration on the performance of a continuous flow microbial fuel cell(MFC) were investigated. Decrease of HRT improved mass transfer of substrate to electrogenic microorganisms, therefore resulting in increased electrode voltage and power generation of MFC. Increase of HRT promoted COD removal by elongating retention time for COD removal in MFC. Recycling of effluent increased the COD removal and coulombic efficiencies by returning suspended microorganisms into MFC. Increase of influent COD enhanced COD removal due to the improved mass transfer of substrate. Decrease of coulombic efficiency by the increase of the HRT and influent COD concentration indicated that they enhanced the activities of fermentative bacteria.