Study of Electricity Generation Using Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell

elecrtical and electronics engineering

Microbial fuel cells present an energy-saving process for wastewater treatment that results in electricity generation. In this study, sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) were adapted for use with wastewater as an organic substrate by using floating carbon cloth air cathodes coated with an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. The performance of a platinum ORR catalyst at the cathode was compared to a manganese dioxide ORR catalyst. Open circuit voltages of SMFCs with MnO2 cathodes dropped over time while those with Pt cathodes remained stable. Over 90% loss of MnO2 from the cathode surface occurred within the first two weeks of SMFC operation. After 55 days, Pt- SMFCs had a slightly higher average maximum power density during polarization than MnO2 SMFCs, 65.35 mW/m2 ± 4.59 and 48.32 mW/m2 ± 10.13 respectively. Based on power densities recorded throughout the study, the better ORR catalyst could not be conclusively determined.

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