Nonactivated and Activated Biochar Derived from Bananas as Alternative Cathode Catalyst in Microbial Fuel Cells

Yuan, Huatang; Qi, Yujie; Kobayashi, Noriyuki; Tang, Jiahuan

doi:10.1155/2014/832850

Cited by 42 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…16 In brief, 5 g of chitin and 40 mL deionized water were placed in a commercial Teflon-lined autoclave with a capacity of 50 mL, and the autoclave was sealed and heated at 180 ºC for 12 h. The resulting hydrothermal carbonaceous solid was recovered and washed with ethanol and deionized water several times, dried in an oven at 60 ºC, and ground in an agate mortar. Subsequently, the carbonaceous solid was thermo treated at 750 ºC for 2 h (dwell time) at a heating rate of 5 ºC/min in a tube furnace under an inert atmosphere to obtain unactivated chitin-based carbon sheet (CS).…”

Section: Preparation Of Activated Carbon Sheet From Chitinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen-doped carbon sheets derived from chitin as non-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution

et al. 2015

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Affordable, efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) are critical for various energy technologies. Herein, we report that an activated carbon sheet (ACS) derived from chitin is an efficient non-metal bifunctional electrocatalyst for both ORR and OER. In alkaline media, the as-prepared ACS exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction, which was significantly superior to an unactivated carbon sheet (CS) and comparable to the commercial Pt/C catalyst with excellent durability and resistance to the crossover effect. Meanwhile, the same ACS also presents high catalytic activity towards OER, with a small overpotential of ~ 1.64 ± 0.02 V versus RHE. The excellent electrocatalytic properties of the ACS originated from the combined effect of optimal nitrogen doping, high surface area, and porous architecture. This work demonstrates that the ACS is a promising material candidate with high-performance in electrocatalytic applications in energy technologies.

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Section: Preparation Of Activated Carbon Sheet From Chitinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen-doped carbon sheets derived from chitin as non-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution

et al. 2015

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“…In an ongoing effort to identify potential cheaper alternatives, the use of various cathode catalysts (nonprecious metal) on carbon paper or cloth has been considered for MFCs. These include the use of nonactivated and activated biochars prepared from banana, 8 iron aminoantipyrine (Fe-AAPyr), 9 cobalt-aminoantipyrine (Co-AAPyr), 9 nickel aminoantipyrine (Ni-AAPyr), 9 manganese-aminoantipyrine (Mn-AAPyr), 9 manganese oxides with a cryptomelane-type octahedral molecular sieve, 10 flower-like cobalt(II,III) oxide (Co 3 O 4 ), 11 iron-based catalysts, 12 and platinum−iron−titanium dioxide (Pt−Fe/TiO 2 ). 13 The methods used in various studies for deposition of catalyst on a gas diffusion layer (GDL) include brush coating, 14 inkjet printing, 15 ultrasonic spray coating, 16 doctor blade coating, 17 and sputtering.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of a Carbon Paper/Polyaniline-Copper Hybrid and Its Utilization as an Air Cathode for Microbial Fuel Cells

Sonawane

Pant

Ghosh

et al. 2019

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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The use of platinum (Pt) catalysts in air cathode for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is expensive and is limiting the adoption of MFCs for power generation from wastewaters. In this study, we propose an innovative approach for the fabrication of a carbon paper/copper-polyaniline (CP/PANi-Cu) hybrid which can be employed as a relatively inexpensive and effective air cathode for MFCs. The CP/PANi-Cu hybrid cathode composed of the uniform layer and relatively strong adhesion of PANi-Cu to CP which enables a significant oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Consequently, the composite cathode demonstrated superior performance compared to that of a conventional Pt (CP/Pt) cathode by generating a maximum current of 0.50 ± 0.02 mA cm −2 compared with 0.35 ± 0.03 mA cm −2 obtained with the latter. When employed in MFCs, the power densities obtained with these cathodes were 0.244 ± 0.014 mW cm −2 under a current density of 0.85 ± 0.08 mA cm −2 for the Pt cathode, and 0.101 ± 0.01 mW cm −2 at 0.37 ± 0.04 mA cm −2 for the CP/PANi-Cu cathode. Moreover, the Nafion membrane attached to the CP/PANi-Cu cathode experienced much less biofouling than that used with the CP/Pt cathode and, thus, indicates that the new hybrid cathode is superior on the basis of overall performance, usage, and stability. A very detailed characterization of the Nafion membranes by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and 3D profilometry revealed more complex and thicker biofouling of the membrane attached to the CP/Pt cathode than that of the CP/PANi-Cu cathode.

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“…N-doped carbon obtained at 900 °C with an intermediate N-content and surface area showed the best ORR catalytic property among the other catalysts prepared that was also higher than that of Pt/C with 3.86 electron transfer per oxygen molecule, suggesting the four-electron pathway during the ORR. Yuan et al reported the synthesis of N-doped carbon using the chemical activation of biochar obtained from the banana plant [ 151 ]. Moreover, a hydrothermal treatment followed by annealing under N 2 gas to plant moss (Weisiopsisanomala), a phylum of small and soft plants, commonly available plant species, could produce carbon nanoparticle-decorated N-doped porous carbon, which also served as a superior ORR catalyst in MFCs [ 152 ].…”

Section: Carbon-based Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metal-Free Carbon-Based Materials: Promising Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Microbial Fuel Cells

Sawant

Han

Cho

2016

IJMS

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Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising green approach for wastewater treatment with the simultaneous advantage of energy production. Among the various limiting factors, the cathodic limitation, with respect to performance and cost, is one of the main obstacles to the practical applications of MFCs. Despite the high performance of platinum and other metal-based cathodes, their practical use is limited by their high cost, low stability, and environmental toxicity. Oxygen is the most favorable electron acceptor in the case of MFCs, which reduces to water through a complicated oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Carbon-based ORR catalysts possessing high surface area and good electrical conductivity improve the ORR kinetics by lowering the cathodic overpotential. Recently, a range of carbon-based materials have attracted attention for their exceptional ORR catalytic activity and high stability. Doping the carbon texture with a heteroatom improved their ORR activity remarkably through the favorable adsorption of oxygen and weaker molecular bonding. This review provides better insight into ORR catalysis for MFCs and the properties, performance, and applicability of various metal-free carbon-based electrocatalysts in MFCs to find the most appropriate cathodic catalyst for the practical applications. The approaches for improvement, key challenges, and future opportunities in this field are also explored.

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Nonactivated and Activated Biochar Derived from Bananas as Alternative Cathode Catalyst in Microbial Fuel Cells

Cited by 42 publications

References 23 publications

Nitrogen-doped carbon sheets derived from chitin as non-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution

Nitrogen-doped carbon sheets derived from chitin as non-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution

Fabrication of a Carbon Paper/Polyaniline-Copper Hybrid and Its Utilization as an Air Cathode for Microbial Fuel Cells

Metal-Free Carbon-Based Materials: Promising Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Microbial Fuel Cells

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