Enhancement of bioelectricity generation by a  microbial fuel cell using Ti nanoparticle‐modified carbon electrode

Abstract

BACKGROUND Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising devices that can be used to generate electricity from organic wastewater through microbial redox reactions. Various strategies have been attempted to improve the power generation of MFCs, including electrode modification. Titanium (Ti) is a biocompatible metal which is commonly used in various applications. This study examined the improvement of voltage generation by Ti nanoparticle attachment to the carbon electrode surface of an MFC by simple dipping and e‐beam evaporation. Two microbes, namely Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 and Klebsiella pneumoniae L17, having different electron transfer mechanisms were used to identify the effects of Ti nanoparticles on bioelectricity generation. RESULTS Voltage generation was significantly increased for the MFCs containing Ti nanoparticles, both using S. oneidensis MR‐1 and K. pneumoniae L17. Higher concentrations of DNA extracted from the electrode surface indicated that the Ti nanoparticles did not only assist the electron transfer process from the bacteria to the electrode but also microbial attachment on the carbon electrode. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) experiments demonstrated the sustainability of the Ti nanoparticles, showing no significant changes in the attached Ti nanoparticles during an operation period of 3 weeks. CONCLUSION It was demonstrated that the Ti‐dipping method is applicable to MFCs as an electrode modification strategy by Ti nanoparticle formation, leading to a similar level of voltage generation (but through a much simpler process) as compared with conventional evaporation methods. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Investigation of Polymer Biofilm Formation on Titanium-Based Anode Surface in Microbial Fuel Cells with Poplar Substrate

“…Titanium (Ti)-based electrodes, which are referred to as biomaterials due to their excellent biocompatibility, bio stability, and bio affinity properties, were used as anode electrodes [ 11 ]. Graphite cylinder rod was used as the cathode electrode because it is biocompatible, inert, and does not interfere with bacterial growth [ 1 ].…”

“…By putting 40 mL of natural tap water into all MFCs, the metabolic activities of bacteria and the ionic transmission process of MFCs were initiated, that is, MFCs were operated. At the beginning and the end of the experiments, the chemical and morphological structure of the anode electrodes was examined by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and FTIR [ 2 , 11 ]. The bacterial structure of the electrolyte consisting of poplar wood shavings and soil was examined by optical microscope.…”

Sustainable Syntheses and Sources of Nanomaterials for Microbial Fuel/Electrolysis Cell Applications: An Overview of Recent Progress

“…Electron transport is a key component for improving the efficiency of MFCs, especially on the anode side in order to achieve direct electron transport (DET) due to the intimate electrical bridging effect that can be obtained by stacking the carbon anode support, metal nanoparticles, and grown biofilm on top [32,108,109]. It is true that transition metals and transition metal oxides have a good and recognized catalytic activity [110] for the ORR (in MFCs) [111] and OER/HER (in MECs) [112], but this activity is limited in microbial devices by the temperature and pH, whereas the electrical bridging effect is not, showing a similar effect for bacteria with different DET characteristics [113]. Recent research by Wu et al [114] showed that gold nanoparticles with S. oneidensis MR-1 bacteria could be very effective, potentially generating a power density of about 178.34 ± 4.79 mW•m −2 , which represents a 56.11% greater performance than that of the control cells.…”