Abstract
Catalysts and catalyst binders are significant portions of the cost of microbial fuel cell (MFC) cathodes. Many materials have been tested as aqueous cathodes, but air-cathodes are needed to avoid energy demands for water aeration. Packed-bed air-cathodes were constructed without expensive binders or diffusion layers using four inexpensive carbon-based materials. Cathodes made from activated carbon produced the largest maximum power density of 676±93mW/m2, followed by semi-coke (376±47mW/m2), graphite (122±14mW/m2) and carbon felt (60±43mW/m2). Increasing the mass of activated carbon and semi-coke from 5 to ≥15g significantly reduced power generation because of a reduction in oxygen transfer due to a thicker water layer in the cathode (~3 or ~6cm). These results indicate that a thin packed layer of activated carbon or semi-coke can be used to make inexpensive air-cathodes for MFCs. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 109-114 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Bioresource Technology |
| Volume | 142 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KUS-I1-003-13
Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2011AA060907), an award from the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, a scholarship from Shanghai Tongji Gao Tingyao Environmental Science and Technology Development Foundation, an award from Tsinghua University, and Award KUS-I1-003-13 from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). We thank Dr. Xiaoxin Cao for comments and suggestions, and Deepak Pant at VITO for providing the activated carbon powder cathodes.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.