Article
Environmental Sciences
Shreeniwas Madhav Sathe, Manikanta Manmadha Doki, Subrata Mandal, Rajakumar Ananthakrishnan, Brajesh Kumar Dubey, Makarand Madhao Ghangrekar
Summary: The widespread application and subsequent discharge of surfactants in developing countries is a common issue. In this study, a composite of graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) and TiO2 was used as a photo-electro-catalyst in a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based hybrid system for bio-electricity production and simultaneous pollutant removal. The GCN-TiO2 composite showed better electrochemical response and achieved higher removal efficiency of COD and SDS compared to standalone TiO2. The results demonstrate the potential of this MFC-based hybrid system for municipal wastewater treatment and indicate an innovative research direction in the field of photoelectro-catalysts.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Junfeng Chen, Yiwen Zhang, Yiqun Wu, Jingyu Wang, Yongyue Zhao, Mingkun Wang, Jiaqi Yang, Jinyu Liu, Renjun Wang, Yuewei Yang, Yanyan Liu
Summary: NiCoAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH)/MXene was successfully prepared through hydrothermal method and showed superior catalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). As the cathode in microbial fuel cell (MFC), NiCoAl-LDH/MXene exhibited higher power density and output voltage compared to MXene-MFC and NiCoAl-LDH-MFC. These results suggest that NiCoAl-LDH/MXene is a potential cathode catalyst for MFC with promising future applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Amitap Khandelwal, Kiran Dhindhoria, Ambesh Dixit, Meenu Chhabra
Summary: The study focuses on the development of a low-cost cathode catalyst for algae-based microbial fuel cells, comparing its performance with Pt coated electrodes. The new composite cathode showed higher power density, current density, algal growth, and electrocatalytic activity compared to traditional Pt-coated electrodes, which hindered algal growth.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Junfeng Chen, Kunqi Zhao, Yiqun Wu, Jinyu Liu, Renjun Wang, Yuewei Yang, Yanyan Liu
Summary: The property of cathode in microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a key factor limiting its output performance. MnO2 nanorods were prepared by hydrothermal method and used as cathode catalysts for MFCs. The unique crystal planes and abundant hydroxyl groups on the surface of MnO2 nanorods provided active adsorption sites, leading to a significantly higher power density and stability compared to other cathode materials.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Simran Kaur Dhillon, Patit Paban Kundu
Summary: Efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts for microbial fuel cells were developed. PANI@Fe/NC showed superior performance with a higher power output compared to conventional catalysts. This novel cathode catalyst has potential for long-term fuel cell applications.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xinyi Li, Yangtian Huang, Yubiao Lu, Tianbo Jia, Jianxin Wang, Peng Li
Summary: Nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (N-doped GO) catalyst improves the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of air-cathode microbial fuel cell (AMFC), enhancing the output voltage and power density. The NGO10 catalyst shows the highest output voltage (391.8 mV) and power density (1800 mWm-3) in AMFC, outperforming H-NGO and Pt/C electrodes. High-throughput sequencing reveals diverse bacterial communities in anode and cathode biofilms, with enriched denitrifying bacteria including Marinobacter, Methylophaga, and Arcobacter on NGO10 cathode. Real-time PCR confirms higher expression of denitrification-related genes in the NGO10 cathode biofilm.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
Xi Hu, Kai Chen, Kexin Guo, Lijuan Xiang, Zhenhai Wen, Suqin Ci
Summary: A metal-free N/B-co-doped carbon-based catalyst was developed in this study, showing significantly improved kinetics and activity towards ORR in alkaline electrolyte. Inspired by the excellent performance of this catalyst in alkaline cathode reaction, an asymmetric neutral-alkaline microbial fuel cell was designed, delivering an output power density twice higher than that of symmetric MFCs.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Review
Thermodynamics
Mohammed Al-Badani, Peng Lean Chong, Heng Siong Lim
Summary: Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are of great interest as alternative energy conversion technology and a system for treating wastewater. Efforts have been made to modify the electrodes of MFCs to improve their performance. Besides power density, other parameters such as efficiency, current density, voltage, and COD removal rate should also be considered to evaluate the performance of MFCs. This study reviews the latest electrode modification techniques and compares different modified MFCs in terms of their power density and bacterial/membrane types used.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GREEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bonyoung Koo, Sokhee P. Jung
Summary: Activated carbon is an inexpensive catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in microbial fuel cells, but its electrochemical catalytic activity is poor. This study combined ZIF-67 with activated carbon to improve its performance, resulting in higher power density compared to AC and Pt cathodes. The addition of ZIF-67 also improved the oxygen reduction reaction rate and decreased charge transfer impedance in the MFC system.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nan Lin, Qiao Yang, Yujie Feng
Summary: Stacked reactors are a viable method for scaling up microbial fuel cells, where optimization of catalyst and reactor volume is crucial for performance improvement. By optimizing the dosage of active carbon or incorporating a small amount of Pt/C, reactor performance can be enhanced with lower cost.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nikitha Subran, Karnapa Ajit, Haribabu Krishnan, Senthilkumar Pachiyappan, Palani Ramaswamy
Summary: This study developed a metal-free cathode catalyst from areca nut husk and evaluated its performance in a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). The synthesized activated carbon showed a surface area of 1261.6 m2/g and an average particle size of 35.23 μm. Electrochemical characterization revealed that the catalyst had equivalent conductivity to Pt catalyst. The catalyst achieved an Open Circuit voltage of 864 mV, a power density of 590 mW/m2, and a current density of 1.03517 A/m2 at 611.8 Ω, making it a potential alternative to metal-based catalysts.
Article
Biophysics
Dayakar Thatikayala, Booki Min
Summary: A novel biofilm-derived activated carbon electrode was successfully fabricated for electrochemical nitrite sensing in water samples. The electrode exhibited a low detection limit, high sensitivity, good stability, reproducibility, and demonstrated promising results in real-time testing, indicating its potential in environmental and wastewater applications.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wu Hao, Sang-Hun Lee, Shaik Gouse Peera
Summary: This study presents a novel strategy for synthesizing nano-sized MnO nanoparticles and evaluates their physicochemical and electrochemical properties. The resulting MnO/N-doped carbon catalysts exhibit excellent crystallinity, adequate surface area and porosity, enhanced ORR activity, and excellent stability.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Haoliang Wu, Hao Tan, Luye Chen, Bin Yang, Yang Hou, Lecheng Lei, Zhongjian Li
Summary: A novel anode based on a stainless steel cloth modified with carbon nanoparticles significantly improved the performance of microbial fuel cells, including shortened start-up time, increased maximum current, and higher power density. The addition of carbon nanoparticles and their excellent dispersibility played a crucial role in enhancing electron transfer between the electrode and bacteria.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Simran Kaur Dhillon, Patit Paban Kundu
Summary: The performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can be enhanced by synthesizing a composite material of magnesium cobaltite embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon. The composite serves as an air cathode and demonstrates superior power output compared to traditional catalysts.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
