Membraneless microbial biofuel cell for municipal waste water treatment

Abstract

Microbial biofuel cell is the promising technology that gives possibilities to generate electricity by degradation of organic contaminations. Thus, this technology became very perspective for municipal waste water treatment to minimize energy consumption of waste water treatment plants. The main limitations of microbial biofuel cell application are related with high cost of membranes and electrodes materials. Absence of membrane and application of cheap materials with low conductivity and low surface area usually leads to decreasing of power output. In this paper we present membraneless microbial fuel cell (MFC) with cheap conductive electrodes that can be applied in future for waste water treatment. Gluconobacter Oxydans VKM V-1280 strain from All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms was used as biocatalyzer for anode. Graphite was applied as electrode material. Immobilization was provided by using mixture of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and poly (ethyleneglycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE). Experiments were provided by using synthetic analog of municipal waste water. No additional chemical mediator was applied. Power output was 1.43 mcW/sm2. Electrodes were stable during biofuel cell (BFC) operation. Thus, it was demonstrated that it is possible to apply membraneless MFC for municipal waste water treatment.

Interrelationship of Electric Double Layer Theory and Microfluidic Microbial Fuel Cells: A Review of Theoretical Foundations and Implications for Performance

“…We have also discussed the relationship between the theoretical foundation and MMMFC performance related to the total flow rate, the pH of wastewater fuel carriers, and the electrostatics based on surface charge density and potential models. Consequently, the significance of our extensive review work lies in the intimate relationship between MFCs and the fundamental theory underlying the electric double layer theory as found in the colloidal sciences [19][20][21]. Moreover, with this intimate relationship, it can be hypothesized that, considering the environmental chemistry of organically loaded aqueous solutions, such as wastewater that is characterized by a specific pH and salinity, the hydrodynamics of MMFCs will be governed by the electric double layer as found in unrelated microfluid systems.…”