Need for optimizing catalyst loading for achieving affordable microbial fuel cells

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2013-08, Vol.142, p.77-81
• Main Authors: Singh, Inderjeet, Chandra, Amreesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Biochemical fuel cells; Bioelectric Energy Sources; Biofuel production; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Catalysis; Catalyst; Catalysts; Conduction; Crystallography, X-Ray; Domestic; Electrodes; Energy; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Microbial fuel cell; Microorganisms; MnO2 nanorods; Nanorods; Optimization; Platinum - chemistry; Waste water
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.05.034

•Catalysts loading play an important role is deciding MFC performance.•MFC performs best only under optimal catalyst loading concentration.•MnO2-activated carbon nano-composite act as effective cathode catalyst.•18 times increase in power density is obtained by using the composite catalyst. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is a promising technology for electricity production together with simultaneous water treatment. Catalysts play an important role in deciding the MFC performance. In most reports, effect of catalyst – both type and quantity is not optimized. In this paper, synthesis of nanorods of MnO2-catalyst particles for application in Pt-free MFCs is reported. The effect of catalyst loading i.e., weight ratio, with respect to conducting element and binder has been optimized by employing large number of combinations. Using simple theoretical model, it is shown that too high (or low) concentration of catalysts result in loss of MFC performance. The operation of MFC has been investigated using domestic wastewater as source of bio-waste for obtaining real world situation. Maximum power density of ∼61mW/m2 was obtained when weight ratio of catalyst and conducting species was 1:1. Suitable reasons are given to explain the outcomes.