• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.461-466
• /
• 2010

In this study the feasibility of simultaneous electricity generation and treatment of swine farm wastewater using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was examined. Two single-chamber MFCs containing an anode filled with different ratio of graphite felt and stainless-steel cross strip was used in all tests. The proportion of stainless-steel cross strip to graphite felt in the anode of control microbial fuel cell (CMFC) was higher than that of swine microbial fuel cell (SMFC) to reduce construction costs. SMFCs produced a stable current of 18 mA by swine wastewater with chemical oxygen demand (COD) of $3.167{\pm}80\;mg/L$ after enriched. The maximum power density and current density of SMFCs were $680\;mW/m^3$ and $3,770\;mA/m^3$, respectively. In the CMFC, power density and current density was lower than that of SMFC. CODs decreased by the SMFC and CMFC from $3.167{\pm}80$ to $865{\pm}21$ and $930{\pm}14\;mg/L$, achieving 72.7% and 70.6% COD removal, respectively. The suspended solid (SS) of both fuel cells was also reduced over 99% ($4,533{\pm}67$ to $24.0{\pm}6.0\;mg/L$). The concentration of nutritive salts, ${NH_4}^+$, ${NO_3}^-$, and ${PO_4}^{3-}$, dropped by 65.4%, 57.5%, and 73.7% by the SMFC, respectively. These results were similar with those of CMFC. These results show that the microbial fuel cells using electrode with mix stainless-steel cross strip and graphite felt can treat the swine wastewater simultaneously with an electricity generation from swine wastewater.

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

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.254-261
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this research was to optimize electric current production of sediment microbial fuel cells by injecting glucose and to investigate its impact on microbial communities involved. It was shown that injection of proper concentration of glucose could increase electric current generated from sediment microbial fuel cells. When 1,000 mg/L of glucose, as opposed to higher concentrations, was injected, electric current increased up to 3 times. This increase is mainly attributed to the mutual relationship between fermenting bacteria and exoelectrogenic bacteria. Here the organic acids generated by fermenting bacteria could be utilized by exoelectrogenic bacteria, removing feedback inhibition caused by the organic acids. When glucose was injected, the population of Clostridium increased as to ferment injected glucose. Glucose fermentation can have either a positive or negative effect on electric current generation. When exoelectrogenic bacteria may readily utilize the end-product, electric current could increase. However, when the end-product was not readily removed, then detrimental chemical reactions (pH decrease, methane generation, organic acids accumulation) occurred: exoelctrogenic bacteria population declined and non-microbial fuel cell related microorganisms prospered. By injecting a proper concentration of glucose, a mutual relationship between fermenting bacteria, such as Clostridium, and exoelectrogenic bacteria, such as Geobacter, should be fulfilled in order to increase electricity production in mixed cultures of microorganisms collected from the aquatic sediments.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.308-320
• /
• 2022

The high internal resistance (R_int) that develops across the sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFC) limits their power production (~4/10 mW m^-2) that can be recovered from an initial oil-contaminated sediment (OCS). In the anolyte, R_int is related to poor biodegradation activity, quality and quantity of contaminant content in the sediment and anode material. While on the catholyte, R_int depends on the properties of the catholyte, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and the cathode material. In this work, the main factors limiting the power output of the SMFC have been minimized. The power output of the SMFC was increased (47 times from its initial value, ~4 mW m^-2) minimizing the SMFC R_int (28 times from its initial value, 5000 ohms), following the main modifications. Anolyte: the initial OCS was amended with several amounts of gasoline and kerosene. The best anaerobic microbial activity of indigenous populations was better adapted (without more culture media) to 3 g of kerosene. Catholyte: ORR was catalyzed in birnessite/carbon fabric (CF)-cathode at pH 2, 0.8M Na₂SO₄. At the class level, the main microbial groups (Gammaproteobacteria, Coriobacteriia, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria) with electroactive members were found at C-anode and were associated with the high-power densities obtained. Gasoline is more difficult to biodegrade than kerosene. However, in both cases, SMFC biodegradation activity and power output are increased when ORR is performed on birnessite/CF in 0.8 M Na₂SO₄ at pH 2. The work discussed here can focus on bioremediation (in heavy OCS) or energy production in future work.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2011.05a
• /
• pp.219.1-219.1
• /
• 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
• /
• v.24 no.12
• /
• pp.1707-1718
• /
• 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 on Water Environment
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.608-613
• /
• 2010

Electricity generation of microbial fuel cells (MFC) is greatly affected by the kind of feed substrates because substrates would change microbial community of electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) able to transfer electrons to electrode. The effect of different substrates on electricity generation and microbial community of MFC was investigated. Two-chamber MFCs fed with acetate (A-MFC), butyrate (B-MFC), propionate (P-MFC), glucose (G-MFC) and a mixture (M-MFC) of the 4 substrates (acetate : butyrate : propionate : glucose = 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 as $COD_{Cr}$ base) were operated under continuous mode. The maximum power density was found from the M-MFC ($190W/m^3$) which showed the lowest internal resistance ($89{\Omega}$). The maximum power densities of the pure substrates feed MFCs were in order of A-MFC ($25W/m^3$), P-MFC ($21W/m^3$), B-MFC ($20W/m^3$) and G-MFC ($9W/m^3$). In DGGE analysis, the microbial community structure in suspension was quite different from each others depending on feed substrates, while the community structure in the biofilm was relatively similar regardless of the substrates. This result suggests that the feed substrates would affect the microbial community of suspended growth bacteria than attached growth bacteria resulting in difference of electricity generation in MFCs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.31 no.9
• /
• pp.693-704
• /
• 2009

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.115-115
• /
• 2014

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.917-922
• /
• 2012

In order to improve applicability of a microbial fuel cell the laboratory-scaled study has been performed by adopting an air-cathode MFC system with high concentrated anaerobic slugies in this study. The concentrations of microbes are grouped into three types, Type A (TS 1.7%), Type B (TS 1.1%) and Type C (TS 0.51%). The open circuit voltage $(V_{oc})$ characteristics showed that the medium microbes concentration of 1.10% (Type B) kept a constant voltage of 1.0 V for 150 hours, which showed the longest time among three types (Type A and Type C). The discharge charge curves for a closed circuit with $500 \Omega$ also showed that Type B generated a stable discharge voltage of 0.8 V for a longer time as in the open circuit voltage case. This could be explained by the relatively large amount of the attached microbes. Under the $V_{oc}$condition the COD removal efficiency of Type B was found to be low for a long time, but those of Type A and C were found to be high for a short period of time. Therefore, the suspended microbes could decrease the coulombic efficiency. It was concluded that the high $V_{oc}$ was caused by low COD and the $V_{oc}$ became low after the COD removal. The COD reduction resulted in an unstable and low working voltage. From the polarization characteristics Type A was found to show the highest power density of $193\;mW/m^2$ with a fill factor of 0.127 due to the relatively high remaining COD even after the MFC reaction.