Preliminary investigation of single chamber single electrode microbial fuel cell using sewage sludge as a substrate

14th International Conference on Science, Engineering and Technology

自然科学;工业技术

Chaithanya, M Sai^1 ; Thakur, Somil^1 ; Sonu, Kumar^1 ; Das, Bhaskar^1

Department of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, School of Civil and Chemical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore

Tamil Nadu

632014, India^1

关键词: Aerobic condition;    Cathode and anode;    Electricity generation;    External circuits;    Generate electricity;    Platinum electrodes;    Single electrodes;    Transfer electrons;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/263/3/032008/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1757-899X/263/3/032008

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) consists of a cathode and anode; micro-organisms transfer electrons acquired from the degradation of organic matter in the substrate to anode; and thereby to cathode; by using an external circuit to generate electricity. In the present study, a single chamber single electrode microbial fuel cell has been fabricated to generate electricity from the sludge of the sewage treatment plant at two different ambient temperature range of 25 ± 4°C and 32 ± 4°C under aerobic condition. No work has been done yet by using the single electrode in any MFC system; it is hypothesized that single electrode submerged partially in substrate and rest to atmosphere can function as both cathode and anode. The maximum voltage obtained was about 2890 mV after 80 (hrs) at temperature range of 25 ± 4°C, with surface power density of 1108.29 mW/m2. When the ambient temperature was 32 ± 4°C, maximum voltage obtained was 1652 mV after 40 (hrs.) surface power density reduced to 865.57 mW/m2. When amount of substrate was decreased for certain area of electrode at 25 ± 4°C range, electricity generation decreased and it also shortened the time to reach peak voltage. On the other hand, when the ambient temperature was increased to 32 ± 4°C, the maximum potential energy generated was less than that of previous experiment at 25 ± 4°C for the same substrate Also the time to reach peak voltage decreased to 40 hrs. When comparing with other single chamber single electrode MFC, the present model is generating more electricity that any MFC using sewage sludge as substrate except platinum electrode, which is much costlier that electrode used in the present study.