Influence of electrode material and electrode distance on bioelectricity production from sago-processing wastewater using microbial fuel cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are hybrid bioelectrochemical devices, which generate electrical energy through the oxidation of organic matter catalyzed by bacteria. In this research, the influence of electrode distance and different electrode materials on power production and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal using raw sago-processing wastewater were studied. Effect of electrode distance on MFC performance was carried out by varying it as 10, 12 and 15 cm. This study revealed that electrode distance of 10 cm resulted in increased power production with a voltage of 900 mV (millivolts), current of 9.0 mA (milliamps) at 100 and COD removal of 94% compared to electrode distance of 12 and 15 cm. Graphite electrodes were good in power production compared to aluminum, stainless steel, and iron electrodes. Biofilm examination on the anode showed the presence of gram-negative rod (E. coli) bacteria which might have contributed for power production. (c) 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 32: 390-395, 2013