Devesh Dadhich Shreeram, Daniel J Hassett, Dale W Schaefer

Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology • 2015

Abstract This report documents the first observation of a urine-powered microbial fuel cell operating with a genetically engineered bacterial strain. Under identical conditions, a pilT mutant of the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a 2.7-fold increase in peak power density compared to the wild-type strain, PAO1. The reduced twitching motility and hyperpiliation of the pilT mutant enhances the formation of electrogenic biofilms. For both strains, the observed high internal resistance near open-circuit voltage is attributed to sluggish redox reactions on the anode surface and not to slow bacterial metabolism. This work lays the groundwork for optimization of multiple bacterial traits leading to increased electroactive properties and opens new opportunities for urine-based mini-devices.

William A. Braff, Cullen R. Buie

ECS Transactions • 2011

We present a model for a novel fuel cell system incorporating hydrogen bromine electrochemistry into a laminar flow fuel cell architecture. The proposed system integrates the fast reaction kinetics of the bromine reduction reaction into a membrane-less device that relies on the fluid mechanics of laminar flow to maintain reactant separation. This design eliminates both the cross over losses and the hydration requirements that have limited the effectiveness of many previous proton exchange membrane-based hydrogen bromine fuel cells. A two dimensional model of the system predicts that the hydrogen bromine system will produce 1 W/cm2 at 90% efficiency, with a peak power output of 3.4 W/cm2.

Tianshun Song, Yuan Xu, Yejie Ye et al.

Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology • 2008

Abstract BACKGROUND: Pure terephthalic acid (PTA) is a petrochemical product of global importance and is widely applied as an important raw material in making polyester fiber and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. In this work, a single‐chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) was constructed using terephthalic acid (TA) with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration range from 500 mg L −1 to 3500 mg L −1 as the electron donor and strain PA‐18 as the biocatalyst. RESLUTS: In the single chamber MFC, several factors were examined to determine their effects on power output, including COD concentration and electrode spacing. The characteristic of the strain PA‐18 was further studied. Cyclic voltammetry showed that electrons were directly transferred onto the anode by bacteria in biofilms, rather than self‐produced mediators of bacteria in the solutions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation showed that the anodic electrode surface was covered by bacteria which were responsible for electron transfer. Direct 16s‐rDNA analysis showed that the PA‐18 bacteria shared 99% 16SrDNA sequence homology with Pseudomonas sp. CONCLUSIONS: Electricity generation from TA in MFC was observed for the first time. The maximum power density produced by TA was 160 mW m −2 , lower than that achieved using domestic wastewater. This novel technology provided an economical route for electricity energy recovery in PTA wastewater treatment. High internal resistance was the major limitation. To further improve the power output, the electron transfer rate was accelerated by overexpression of membrane the protein gene of the strain PA‐18 and by reducing the electrolyte and mass transfer resistance by optimizing reactor configuration. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

Liping Fan, Junyi Shi, Tian Gao

Energies • 2020

Proton exchange membrane is an important factor affecting the power generation capacity and water purification effect of microbial fuel cells. The performance of microbial fuel cells can be improved by modifying the proton exchange membrane by some suitable method. Microbial fuel cells with membranes modified by SiO2/PVDF (polyvinylidene difluoride), sulfonated PVDF and polymerized MMA (methyl methacrylate) electrolyte were tested and their power generation capacity and water purification effect were compared. The experimental results show that the three membrane modification methods can improve the power generation capacity and water purification effect of microbial fuel cells to some extent. Among them, the microbial fuel cell with the polymerized MMA modified membrane showed the best performance, in which the output voltage was 39.52 mV, and the electricity production current density was 18.82 mA/m2, which was 2224% higher than that of microbial fuel cell with the conventional Nafion membrane; and the COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal rate was 54.8%, which was 72.9% higher than that of microbial fuel cell with the conventional Nafion membrane. Modifying the membrane with the polymerized MMA is a very effective way to improve the performance of microbial fuel cells.

I Subadri, A Satriyatama, I D M Budi et al.

IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering • 2021

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are devices that utilize the work of microorganisms to oxidize organic substrate involving biochemical pathways. Several studies have been done based on experiments while simulation and modelling remain unexplored. Basically, MFCs have a lot of similarities to chemical fuel cell systems, which modelling and simulation have been widely developed. Hence, a study should be done to develop the model in order to widen the implementation of MFCs. In order to evaluate MFCs performance with less cost and time, numerical modelling might be an effective approach. Models could also be easily developed or modified for various operation conditions and configurations to generate experimental data on MFCs. A number of papers on simulation and modelling focused on cell voltage as function of both cell current density and chemicals concentration. In this paper, a double chamber acetate MFCs under continuous operation and unsteady state condition would be investigated. MFCs model based are developed by calculating biochemical reactions, Butler-Volmer equation, and electrochemical equations using MATLAB 2018a software. The parameters and constants data reported from recent literature are used. Results show that periodic flow rate of fuel could improve the power production. This result also gives the prediction of cell voltage and current density. Nevertheless, models with various conditions or configurations could be developed to scale-up or create more efficient MFCs using simple methods.

Lorenzo Bartolucci, Edoardo Cennamo, Stefano Cordiner et al.

SAE Technical Paper Series • 2023

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Hydrogen technologies have been widely recognized as effective means to reduce Greenhouse Gases emissions, a crucial issue to target a Carbon-free world aimed by the European Green Deal. Within the road transport sector, electric vehicles with a hybrid powertrain, including battery packs and hydrogen Fuel Cells (FCs), are gaining importance owing to their adaptability to a wide variety of applications, high driving mileages and short refueling times. The control strategy is crucial to achieve a proper management of the energy flows, to maximize energy efficiency and maximize components durability and state of health. This work is focused on the design of an integrated Energy Management Strategy (EMS), whose aim is to minimize the hydrogen consumption, by operating the FC mainly in the high efficiency region while the battery pack works according to a charge sustaining mode. The proposed EMS is composed of a control algorithm and a supervisor. A series of fuzzy controllers have been implemented: their Membership Functions have been designed by starting from a first guess and subsequently they have been trained through a Genetic Algorithm, targeting the optimal results previously obtained by a Dynamic Programming approach on specific driving cycles, resulting from a k-means clustering algorithm. On the other hand, within the supervisor, a Driving Pattern Recognition algorithm has been implemented, able to detect in real-time the actual driving conditions and to switch adaptively between the proper sub-optimized fuzzy controller options. The analysis has been performed for a microcar application, with four 2kW-nominal in-wheel motors, two 2kW rated power FCs and a 5.1kWh-capacity battery pack. The FC model has been validated through experimental tests. Results show that the system is able to manage the battery State of Charge around the target value (70%), considering two driving cycles, and to maintain the sub-optimal performances with an increase in hydrogen consumption of only 3.7 % if compared to the global optimum of Dynamic Programming results.</div></div>

Dimitrios Papageorgopoulos, Thomas G. Benjamin, John P. Kopasz et al.

ECS Transactions • 2011

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Program, in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), seeks to enable the widespread commercialization of fuel cells, through applied research and development (R&D) to overcome technical barriers, as well as through efforts to reduce institutional and market barriers. In support of this goal, DOE funds a broad range of fuel cell R&D activities with emphasis on materials, fuel cell stack components, balance of plant (BOP) subsystems, and integrated fuel cell systems targeting lower cost and enhanced durability. Fuel cell system cost estimates for transportation applications have illustrated that catalysts and system BOP are major cost drivers at high-volume production. Membranes are a cost driver at lower production volumes. The DOE has supported research to develop improved fuel cell catalysts and membranes and characterize and optimize transport phenomena to improve membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and stack performance.

Carolina Montoya-Vallejo, Juan Carlos Quintero Díaz, Yamid Andrés Yepes et al.

Applied Sciences • 2025

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are an emerging technology enabling electricity generation from the oxidation of biodegradable substrates by exoelectrogenic microorganisms. The use of microalgae in Microbial Fuel Cells (mMFCs) presents significant advantages such as their simultaneous contribution to the reduction in operational energy, CO2 capture, value-added compound production, and the endogenous supply of organic matter—through the decay biomass—to generate electrical current with coupled wastewater treatment. To achieve the desired electrical and wastewater performance, it is crucial to optimize the architecture, electrode and membrane characteristics, and operational conditions such as light intensity, CO2 and nutrient availability, pH, and algae strains used in the mMFCs. This optimization can be aided by mathematical models, with the goal of achieving efficient large-scale operation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the advances in Microbial Fuel Cells with microalgae, highlighting their electron transfer mechanisms, evaluating strategies to enhance their efficiency and their potential applications.

Jongbin Woo, Younghyeon Kim, Sangseok Yu

Volume 7: Energy • 2023

Abstract Recently, the drone is tried to employ in the logistics industry that is known as cargo drone. Since a cargo drones requires high power density to allow large payload, hydrogen fuel cell is considered as power propulsion system for cargo drone. Typically, the fuel cell system of small drone is equipped with air cooled fuel cell system but the large payload of cargo drone requires liquid cooling fuel cell system. Since the high power density of cargo drone allows more weight for payload, the fuel cell should be operated with higher current density at the take-off. Those conditions result in serious amount of heat generation that should be maintained at reasonable set value for extended durability and high performance. Even though the liquid cooling of the fuel cells is very effective for controlling heat generation, the liquid cooling requires complicated system with heavy weight. Nonetheless, it is necessary to equip liquid cooling system as the system power requirement is large enough. This study developed a 20kWe polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system model through AMESet, a model development program, and the cooling system was developed as a water cooling system in consideration of the heat generation of the stack. The cooling system consists of a water pump, a cooling fan, a radiator, and a three-way valve, and the optimal cooling strategy is derived by comparing the temperature control performance of the fuel cell system with the parasitic energy of the cooling system.

Emilius Sudirjo, Cees J.N. Buisman, David P.B.T.B. Strik

Water • 2019

Wetlands cover a significant part of the world’s land surface area. Wetlands are permanently or temporarily inundated with water and rich in nutrients. Therefore, wetlands equipped with Plant-Microbial Fuel Cells (Plant-MFC) can provide a new source of electricity by converting organic matter with the help of electrochemically active bacteria. In addition, sediments provide a source of electron donors to generate electricity from available (organic) matters. Eight lab-wetlands systems in the shape of flat-plate Plant-MFC were constructed. Here, four wetland compositions with activated carbon and/or marine sediment functioning as anodes were investigated for their suitability as a bioanode in a Plant-MFC system. Results show that Spartina anglica grew in all of the plant-MFCs, although the growth was less fertile in the 100% activated carbon (AC100) Plant-MFC. Based on long-term performance (2 weeks) under 1000 ohm external load, the 33% activated carbon (AC33) Plant-MFC outperformed the other plant-MFCs in terms of current density (16.1 mA/m2 plant growth area) and power density (1.04 mW/m2 plant growth area). Results also show a high diversity of microbial communities dominated by Proteobacteria with 42.5–69.7% relative abundance. Principal Coordinates Analysis shows clear different bacterial communities between 100% marine sediment (MS100) Plant-MFC and AC33 Plant-MFC. This result indicates that the bacterial communities were affected by the anode composition. In addition, small worms (Annelida phylum) were found to live around the plant roots within the anode of the wetland with MS100. These findings show that the mixture of activated carbon and marine sediment are suitable material for bioanodes and could be useful for the application of Plant-MFC in a real wetland. Moreover, the usage of activated carbon could provide an additional function like wetland remediation or restoration, and even coastal protection.

Mikal A. McKinnon, Judith M. Cuta, Urban P. Jenquin

Volume 2: Mgmt. Low/Interm. Level Waste; Spent Fuel; Economics/Analyses for Waste Mgmt.; Radiological Characterization/Application Release Criteria; Panel Sessions; Solid Waste Reduction/Treatment; Current Activities in Central/Eastern Europe; Environmental Remediation Technology; LL/ILW; HLW/Spent Fuel; Chernobyl; D&D Waste; Performance Assessment; MOX and Spent UOX; D&D Nuclear Reactors; Decommissioning of Other Nuclear Facilities • 2001

Abstract As part of a cooperative program, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has supported analyses to determine the effect of cask loading on the thermal and shielding performance of a cask containing spent nuclear fuel. Two considerations that must be addressed in licensing spent fuel storage casks are peak fuel temperature and cask surface dose rate. Generally, storage systems are approved for uniform loading of the cask with design basis fuel. The storage system design basis typically specifies maximum assembly enrichment, maximum burnup, and minimum cooling times for the design basis fuel. Some casks specify an enrichment/burnup table. These conditions set the maximum decay heat loads and maximum radioactive source terms for the design. Supportive analysis using conservative assumptions is then used to demonstrate that acceptable fuel storage temperatures and cask dose rates are maintained. This study analyzes the effect of non.-uniform load patterns on peak fuel cladding temperatures and cask surface dose rates using previously validated analytical methods. The study was performed using a spent fuel storage cask that was designed to hold 24 spent fuel assemblies with a decay heat load of 24 kW. The cask was assumed to have a forged steel body with an overall length of 5.0 m and a diameter of 2.3 m. The body was assumed to be surrounded by a resin layer for neutron shielding and a steel outer shell. The fuel was selected to have cooling times of 3.5 to 10 years and burnups of 20 to 60 GWd/MTU to bound the expected range of burnup for most of the fuel to be discharged from boiling water and pressurized water reactors from the mid-1970s through 2020. Three radial power distributions were considered in the study: uniform loading, hotter assemblies in the center of the cask, and hotter assemblies near the wall of the cask. Each load pattern resulted in a total decay heat output of 24 kW from the cask. Seventeen different load patterns were selected, and the thermal analysis was repeated for three backfill gases: helium, nitrogen, and vacuum. For a given decay heat load in the cask, loading assemblies with higher decay heat output around the outside of the cask results in lower peak fuel cladding temperatures than loading hotter assemblies in the center of the cask. Several of the load patterns resulted in a peak cladding temperature that was lower than for a uniformly loaded cask. For a helium backfill with an optimum load pattern in the cask (hot assemblies near the basket wall), the peak fuel clad temperature was 17°C lower than a uniformly loaded cask. Using the same assemblies from the optimum load pattern but reversing the load pattern so the hot assemblies are moved to the inside of the cask., increased the peak fuel clad temperatures by 35°C for a helium backfill. This is 18°C greater than for a uniform load pattern. Seven source terms were selected to provide the thermal output used in the thermal analysis. Source term calculations were completed using fuel burnups of 20 to 60 GWd/MTU and enrichments of 2.4 to 4.8%. A constant power density of 32 MW/MTU was used for all irradiation calculations. Cooling times were selected to provide the decay heat values used in the thermal analysis. Photon dose rates are dominated by the cobalt-60 in the bottom-end fittings, top-end fittings, and plenum and are proportional to fuel burnup. For short cooling times, photon dose rates on the side of the cask are somewhat higher due to short-lived fission products. Cask loadings with high decay heat assemblies near the periphery exhibit increased photon dose rates on the side surface and top and bottom surfaces away from the centerline. Near the centerline, on the top and bottom of the cask, the dose rates are reduced substantially. Neutron dose rates increase exponentially with burnup and are nearly independent of cooling time. Cask loadings with high decay heat assemblies impact the neutron dose rates minimally. The peak dose rates (neutron plus photon) for the short-cooled, higher-burnup fuel loaded around the outside of the cask’s basket are generally less than for a uniform loading of longer-cooled, higher-burnup spent fuel.

Prem Chandra, Enespa, Ranjan Singh et al.

Microbial Cell Factories • 2020

Abstract Lipases are very versatile enzymes, and produced the attention of the several industrial processes. Lipase can be achieved from several sources, animal, vegetable, and microbiological. The uses of microbial lipase market is estimated to be USD 425.0 Million in 2018 and it is projected to reach USD 590.2 Million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2018. Microbial lipases (EC 3.1.1.3) catalyze the hydrolysis of long chain triglycerides. The microbial origins of lipase enzymes are logically dynamic and proficient also have an extensive range of industrial uses with the manufacturing of altered molecules. The unique lipase (triacylglycerol acyl hydrolase) enzymes catalyzed the hydrolysis, esterification and alcoholysis reactions. Immobilization has made the use of microbial lipases accomplish its best performance and hence suitable for several reactions and need to enhance aroma to the immobilization processes. Immobilized enzymes depend on the immobilization technique and the carrier type. The choice of the carrier concerns usually the biocompatibility, chemical and thermal stability, and insolubility under reaction conditions, capability of easy rejuvenation and reusability, as well as cost proficiency. Bacillus spp., Achromobacter spp., Alcaligenes spp., Arthrobacter spp., Pseudomonos spp., of bacteria and Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp., of fungi are screened large scale for lipase production. Lipases as multipurpose biological catalyst has given a favorable vision in meeting the needs for several industries such as biodiesel, foods and drinks, leather, textile, detergents, pharmaceuticals and medicals. This review represents a discussion on microbial sources of lipases, immobilization methods increased productivity at market profitability and reduce logistical liability on the environment and user.

Daniel Wichmann, Philip Engelhardt, Roland Wruck et al.

ECS Transactions • 2010

Within the scope of a German cooperative project a consortium with partners from industry and academia develops a Reformed Methanol Fuel Cell System (RMFC) on the basis of a HT-PEM fuel cell with an electric power output of 30 W. The fuel cell system is used as a hybrid system with an accumulator as an energy supply for golf-caddies. The Steam Reforming of Methanol (SRM) is applied for hydrogen production in a micro-structured reactor which is built on the basis of thin hydroformed metal sheets. An innovative heat exchanger design allows the integration of all relevant fuel processing steps (catalytic combustion, vaporization, reforming, heat exchange) into a single component and also the integration with the HT-PEM fuel cell as such. The fuel processor was tested with different types of catalysts (base metal, precious metal). It turns out that among the catalysts tested a precious metal catalyst has the best stability and performance.

Chunjuan Shen, Sichuan Xu, Yuan Gao

Polymers • 2021

Based on the dynamic cycle condition test of a 4.5 kW fuel cell stack, the performance attenuation and individual cell voltage uniformity of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack was evaluated synthetically. The performance decay period of the fuel cell stack was 180–600 h, the decrease of voltage and power was evaluated by rate and amplitude. The results show that the performance of the fuel cell stack decreased with the increase of test time and current density. When the test was carried out to 600 h, under rated operating conditions, the voltage attenuation rate was 130 μV/h, and the voltage reduced by 71 mV, with a decrease of 10.41%. The power attenuation rate was 0.8 W/h, with a decrease of 10.42%. The statistical parameter variation coefficient was used to characterize the voltage consistency of individual cells. It was found that the voltage uniformity is worse at the high current density point and with a long-running process. The variation coefficient was 3.1% in the worst performance.

Feng Zhao, Qingzhi Wang, Ying Zhang et al.

Microbial Cell Factories • 2021

Abstract Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa , the rhamnolipids-producer, is one of dominant bacteria in oil reservoirs. Although P. aeruginosa strains are facultative bacteria, the anaerobic biosynthesis mechanism of rhamnolipids is unclear. Considering the oxygen scarcity within oil reservoirs, revealing the anaerobic biosynthesis mechanism of rhamnolipids are significant for improving the in-situ production of rhamnolipids in oil reservoirs to enhance oil recovery. Results Pseudomonas aeruginosa SG anaerobically produced rhamnolipids using glycerol rather than glucose as carbon sources. Two possible hypotheses on anaerobic biosynthesis of rhamnolipids were proposed, the new anaerobic biosynthetic pathway (hypothesis 1) and the highly anaerobic expression of key genes (hypothesis 2). Knockout strain SGΔrmlB failed to anaerobically produce rhamnolipids using glycerol. Comparative transcriptomics analysis results revealed that glucose inhibited the anaerobic expression of genes rmlBDAC , fabABG , rhlABRI , rhlC and lasI . Using glycerol as carbon source, the anaerobic expression of key genes in P. aeruginosa SG was significantly up-regulated. The anaerobic biosynthetic pathway of rhamnolipids in P. aeruginosa SG were confirmed, involving the gluconeogenesis from glycerol, the biosynthesis of dTDP- l -rhamnose and β-hydroxy fatty acids, and the rhamnosyl transfer process. The engineered strain P. aeruginosa PrhlAB constructed in previous work enhanced 9.67% of oil recovery higher than the wild-type strain P. aeruginosa SG enhancing 8.33% of oil recovery. Conclusion The highly anaerobic expression of key genes enables P. aeruginosa SG to anaerobically biosynthesize rhamnolipids. The genes, rmlBDAC , fabABG , rhlABRI , rhlC and lasI , are key genes for anaerobic biosynthesis of rhamnolipid by P. aeruginosa . Improving the anaerobic production of rhamnolipids better enhanced oil recovery in core flooding test. This study fills the gaps in the anaerobic biosynthesis mechanism of rhamnolipids. Results are significant for the metabolic engineering of P. aeruginosa to enhance anaerobic production of rhamnolipids.

Baroud Zakaria, Gazzam Noureddine, Benalia Atallah et al.

IET Renewable Power Generation • 2018

In this study, an algebraic‐observer‐based output‐feedback controller is proposed for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) air‐supply subsystem, based on both algebraic differentiation and sliding‐mode control approaches. The goal of the design is to regulate the oxygen excess ratio (OER) towards its optimal set point value in the PEMFC air‐supply subsystem. Hence, an algebraic estimation approach is used to reconstruct the OER based on a robust differentiation method. The proposed observer is known for its finite‐time convergence and low computational time compared to other observers presented in the literature. Then, a twisting controller is designed to control the OER by manipulating the compressor motor voltage. The parameters of the twisting controller have been calculated by means of an off‐line tuning procedure. The performance of the proposed algebraic‐observer‐based output‐feedback controller is analysed through simulations for different stack‐current changes, for parameter uncertainties, and for noise rejection. Results show that the proposed approach properly estimates and regulates the OER in finite‐time.

Asmaa G. Almahdy, Ahmed El-Sayed, Marwa Eltarahony

Microbial Cell Factories • 2024

Abstract Background The continuous progress in nanotechnology is rapid and extensive with overwhelming futuristic aspects. Through modernizing inventive synthesis protocols, a paradigm leapfrogging in novelties and findings are channeled toward fostering human health and sustaining the surrounding environment. Owing to the overpricing and jeopardy of physicochemical synthesizing approaches, the quest for ecologically adequate schemes is incontestable. By developing environmentally friendly strategies, mycosynthesis of nanocomposites has been alluring. Results Herein, a novel architecture of binary CuO and TiO 2 in nanocomposites form was fabricated using bionanofactory Candida sp. , for the first time. For accentuating the structural properties of CuTi nanocomposites (CuTiNCs), various characterization techniques were employed. UV-Vis spectroscopy detected SPR at 350 nm, and XRD ascertained the crystalline nature of a hybrid system. However, absorption peaks at 8, 4.5, and 0.5 keV confirmed the presence of Cu, Ti and oxygen, respectively, in an undefined assemblage of polygonal-spheres of 15–75 nm aggregated in the fungal matrix of biomolecules as revealed by EDX, SEM and TEM. However, FTIR, ζ-potential and TGA reflected long-term stability (− 27.7 mV) of self-functionalized CuTiNCs. Interestingly, a considerable and significant biocide performance was detected at 50 µg/mL of CuTiNCs against some human and plant pathogens, compared to monometallic counterparts. Further, CuTiNCs (200 µg/mL) ceased significantly the development of Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans biofilms by 80.3 ± 1.4, 68.7 ± 3.0 and 55.7 ± 3.0%, respectively. Whereas, 64.63 ± 3.5 and 89.82 ± 4.3% antimicrofouling potentiality was recorded for 100 and 200 µg/ml of CuTiNCs, respectively; highlighting their destructive effect against marine microfoulers cells and decaying of their extracellular polymeric skeleton as visualized by SEM. Moreover, CuTiNCs (100 and 200 µg/ml) exerted significantly outstanding disinfection potency within 2 h by reducing the microbial load (i.e., total plate count, mold & yeast, total coliforms and faecal Streptococcus ) in domestic and agricultural effluents reached >50%. Conclusion The synergistic efficiency provided by CuNPs and TiNPs in mycofunctionalized CuTiNCs boosted its recruitment as antiphytopathogenic, antibiofilm, antimicrofouling and disinfectant agent in various realms.

Qi Feng, Longjun Xu, Chenglun Liu et al.

Research Square • 2021

Abstract This was the first attempt to investigate the bioelectricity output based on solid-liquid cooperation in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) treatment of oil-based drill sludge by adjusting the stirring rate (SR) and supplementing oil-based drill cuttings (OBDCs). According to the results, the maximum power density output reached 671 mW/m 2 (5.4 kW h/m 2 ) when the stirring rate was 100 r/min and the OBDCs concentration was 2 g/L in the anode chamber, which was more than 2.4 times as high as that of the control group and significantly higher than those of other MFCs. Extremely high removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) were realized in optimization, with values of 52.3 ± 1.9% (the removal quality was 12081 ± 432 mg/L), 74.5 ± 0.2% and 58.9 ± 0.2%, respectively. Electrochemical analyses and high-throughput sequencing revealed that the cooperation of stir with OBDCs could activate microbial activity while reducing the overpotential loss in anode systems and thus responsible for the enrichment of electrogenic bacteria with extracellular electron transfer functions (such as Proteobacteria , Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria ) and denitrifying bacteria (such as Bacilli and Anaeroli neae and Rhodopseudomonas ). Moreover, substrate characterization (via Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD)) showed that organic matter might converted into small molecules without intermediates. This investigation offers a new strategy for the treatment /application of solid and liquid produced from oil and gas fields by bioelectrochemical technology.

Zhongyang Wang, Yang Zhao, Vijay Ramani

ECS Meeting Abstracts • 2019

There is a growing interest in using anion exchange membranes (AEMs) as separators in alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) and in other energy conversion and storage systems such as redox flow batteries (RFBs), alkaline water electrolyzers (AWEs) and reverse electrodialysis (RED) cells. The most commonly used cation group in AEMs is the benzyl trimethylammonium cation. However, it had been shown that quaternary ammonium-based AEMs are sensitive towards Hofmann elimination [1] and direct nucleophilic elimination reactions [2] that result in loss of ion exchange capacity (IEC) and ionic conductivity. To solve the alkaline stability issue inherent to quaternary-ammonium-group-containing AEMs, alternative cations such as piperidinium-based cations has been proposed and investigated. The piperidinium-based AEM was able to maintain its ca. 90% of its initial IEC after immersion into 1M KOH at 80 ºC for 30 days. Such piperidinium-based AEMs showed higher alkaline stability than benzyl-trimethylammonium-based AEM ( ca. 20% degradation in 1M KOH at 60 ºC for 30 days) [3]. The improved alkaline stability was mainly attributed to the avoidance of attaching quaternary ammonium onto benzylic position. The planar structure of piperidinium-based cation slows down the β-elimination phenomenon. Also, there is no ether linkage with the polymer backbone and hence, the stability of polymer backbone is superior. The chloride ion conductivity of the piperidinium-based AEM was 65 mS/cm at 80 ºC under an IEC of 2.26 mmol/g. An AEMFC was assembled using our piperidinium-based AEM with Pt/C catalysts used for both anode and cathode. A peak power density of 700 mW/cm 2 with 2 A/cm 2 current density was obtained at 70 ºC without any backpressure. References [1] C.G. Arges, L. Wang, J. Parrondo, V. Ramani, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 160 (2013) F1258-F1274. [2] S. Chempath, J.M. Boncella, L.R. Pratt, N. Henson, B.S. Pivovar, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 114 (2010) 11977-11983. [3] Z. Wang, J. Parrondo, V. Ramani, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 164 (2017) F1216-F1225.

Carlos Armenta-Déu

Recent Progress in Science and Engineering • 2025

This work focuses on designing a control unit for improving Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) performance powering electric vehicles when operating in variable atmospheric pressure conditions, a current situation in mountainous countries with sudden changes in road altitude. The paper studies and analyzes the PEM fuel cell behavior working with hydrogen supply from a pressurized tank and oxygen input from atmospheric air supply in journeys with continuous variation of road level due to the orography. The work proposes a control unit that regulates hydrogen and oxygen partial pressure to match each other, assuring correct fuel cell operation and improving performance. A simulation for a fuel cell powering a standard electric vehicle shows that fuel cell performance improves by 8.5%, enlarging the driving range by 7.8% and prolonging the fuel cell lifespan. The control unit is adaptive to all-electric vehicles powered by a PEM fuel cell. Although the simulation test runs for altitudes between sea level and 2000 m, it is valid for any altitude variation from sea level to 6000 meters, representing the practical totality of world roads.

Ika Dyah Widharyanti, Muhammad Andiri Hendrawan, Marcelinus Christwardana

International Journal of Renewable Energy Development • 2020

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology built to produce renewable and sustainable electricityin order to meet the increasing global demand. This study demonstrates the potential application of PMFC in swamps dominated by water hyacinth to produce biological energy and plant biomass.In this research, the plant was integrated into a microbial fuel cell that adopts various types of anode materials such as carbon felt, iron and zinc, with a varying distance of 10 and 20 cm between the anode and cathode. Organic compounds emerging from the photosynthesis process were deposited by plant roots, which were then oxidized by bacteria in the mud media. The result showed that the developed PMFC produced a voltage and current density of 244.8 mV and 185.4 mA/m2, respectively, for 30 days, with a maximum power of 100.2 mW/m2 in the cells using zinc as anode material with an electrode spacing of 10 cm. Furthermore, the pH value on PMFC with a longer electrode was higher than the shorter distance due to the protons' inability to move from anode to cathode against the force of gravity. In conclusion, PMFC which utilizes water hyacinth has a good performance in converting chemical energy from the substrate into electrical energy, and has the potential to be developed in underdeveloped areas.

Aisha Buhari Salisu, Hindatu Yusuf, Shiaka Gimba Peter et al.

UMYU Scientifica • 2023

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are technologies that directly transform chemical energy into electrical energy by oxidizing organic matter using bacteria as biocatalysts. MFCs offer a potential technology for converting wastewater into useful energy source and at the same time serve as wastewater treatment facilities. This makes it superior to other wastewater treatment methods. This study focused on the utilization of MFCs to generate bioelectricity from sewage wastewater using cow urine as inoculum and identify the bacteria colonizing the anode electrode. The experiment were conducted using two-chambered MFC constructed using locally sourced materials. Wastewater was characterized using standard methods. The characteristics of the sewage wastewater are: 680 mg/L Chemical oxygen Demand (COD), 457 mg/L Biochemical oxygen Demand (BOD) and pH of 7.4. The maximum voltage, power and current density obtained were 196 mV, 18.26 mW/m2 and 97 mA/m2 respectively. The MFC shows a reduction in COD value by 82 % (680mg/L initial and 120 mg/L final).The identification of the anodic biofilms showed the presence of Bacillus spp and klebsiella spp based on their microscopic and biochemical characterization. The results of this study can contribute to improve understanding and optimizing electricity generation in MFC, Further study would be conducted in order to identify the microorganisms at molecular level.

Danang Jaya, Tunjung Wahyu Widawati, Firda Ellysa et al.

RSF Conference Series: Engineering and Technology • 2021

Indonesia's rapid population growth means that power demand will continue to rise year after year. Indonesia's growing population has resulted in an increase in restaurants, including Chinese food restaurants. As the number of restaurants grows, so does the amount of waste produced. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC) that create electrical energy are one solution to this challenge. The study aimed to explore the utilization of MFC systems for power generation. It measured the performance of MFC in liquid waste in generating electrical value by utilizing a series of electrode types, particularly Aluminum (Al), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), and Lead (Pb), and a blend of the four types of electrodes. The measured electrical value indicated that MFC can produced the high electrical voltage value was the pair of zinc (anode) and copper (cathode) of (0.863 V) and then the highest electric current value is 0.14 mA with electrode Cu and Zn. The maximum power density is 0.00464 W/m2 using a combination of Zn/Cu electrodes and then electrical energy with highest value is 0.75168 J with Zn/Cu.

Samudro Ganjar, Syafrudin Syafrudin, Wisnu Wardhana Irawan et al.

E3S Web of Conferences • 2017

Moisture content which affects the decomposition of organic material is one of composting parameters. The optimum moisture content indicates the higher power generation. This research aims to determine the optimum moisture content toward power density during the composting process in DGACSMFCs. The reactor was designed with dual graphene anode placed on the base and a half of reactor height in 2 L effective volume. Moisture content was varied at 40%; 50%; 60%; with 4 turning frequency, C/N ratio 30:1, and the mixed waste-leaves litter and canteen based food waste, during 23 days of the observation time. Other parameters of the composting process such as pH, temperature, C-Organic, N-Total, P-Total, and K-Total were also observed as control parameters. The result shows that the optimum moisture content is 60% with power density 17.74 mW/m 2 , and the final compost characteristics are meet the compost requirement based on SNI 19-7030-2004 about the specification of compost from domestic waste..

Mochammad Purwanto, M Anuari Ramdani, Wildan Wahyu Firdhaus et al.

Engineering Headway • 2024

The Dual-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell system has been successfully developed to produce bioelectricity based on tofu liquid waste. In this study, variations of the operating parameters of the MFC were carried out, namely differences in electrolyte solutions of potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) and potassium dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇). In addition, the configuration of the reactor circuit used is a series reactor circuit and a single reactor. The results of the MFC process show that the maximum electric voltage and current strength values obtained in the KMnO₄ electrolyte solution are 880 mV and 0.352 mA, respectively. Meanwhile, the maximum electric voltage and current strength in the K₂Cr₂O₇ electrolyte solution are 569 mV and 0.228 mA. Furthermore, the use of potassium permanganate is known to produce a maximum power density of 20.88 mW/cm², which is two times greater than the maximum power density value produced by potassium dichromate, which is 8.73 mW/cm². Whereas the difference in the reactor series shows that the series reactor circuit can increase the maximum power density value of 356.61 mW/cm², higher than the single reactor which is 26.21 mW/cm². Based on all the data generated from this study, tofu liquid waste has the potential as the main ingredient in the MFC process to produce bioelectricity.

Maheshi Somasiri, Tanusha Amandani, Charitha Basnayaka et al.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) • 2023

ABSTRACT High cathodic overpotential of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in MFC carbon-based cathodes is one of the key barriers to the widespread adoption of the technology. Current Pt-based ORR catalysts are expensive. The use of novel and inexpensive catalysts as replacements for platinum is therefore desirable. In this study, nanomaterials were directly chemically synthesized on carbon microfiber electrodes to improve the performance of lake sediment inoculated MFCs. Nanomaterial of MnO 2 , MnO 2 /polyaniline (PANI), ZnO/NiO and ZnO/NiO/PANI attachments were directly chemically synthesized on the carbon material and used as cathode electrodes. The maximum power densities recorded for the different treatments were; MnO 2 78.5 mW/m 2 , MnO 2 /PANI (Polyaniline) 141.6 mW/m 2 , ZnO/NiO 67.6 mW/m 2 , and ZnO/NiO/PANI 129.4 mW/m 2 . The current and poswer densities were more than six-fold higher in ZnO/NiO/PANI and MnO 2 /PANI nanoparticle modified cathodes compared to the control MFCs with no catalyst. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and FTIR data and SEM images suggest that the nanoparticle attached carbon material is morphologically, chemically and electrochemically different from the controls with no nanomaterial attachment. The outcome of this study demonstrates that nanomaterials-incorporated carbon microfiber cathodes bring about significant enhancements to power densities and may potentially have applications in cost-effective MFCs.

Carlo Santoro, Alexey Serov, Claudia W. Narvaez Villarrubia et al.

Scientific Reports • 2015

Abstract For the first time, a new generation of innovative non-platinum group metal catalysts based on iron and aminoantipyrine as precursor (Fe-AAPyr) has been utilized in a membraneless single-chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) running on wastewater. Fe-AAPyr was used as an oxygen reduction catalyst in a passive gas-diffusion cathode and implemented in SCMFC design. This catalyst demonstrated better performance than platinum (Pt) during screening in “clean” conditions (PBS) and no degradation in performance during the operation in wastewater. The maximum power density generated by the SCMFC with Fe-AAPyr was 167 ± 6 μW cm −2 and remained stable over 16 days, while SCMFC with Pt decreased to 113 ± 4 μW cm −2 by day 13, achieving similar values of an activated carbon based cathode. The presence of S 2− and "Equation missing"<!-- image only, no MathML or LaTex -->showed insignificant decrease of ORR activity for the Fe-AAPyr. The reported results clearly demonstrate that Fe-AAPyr can be utilized in MFCs under the harsh conditions of wastewater.

Wilgince Apollon, Juan Vidales-Contreras, Humberto Rodríguez-Fuentes et al.

Energies • 2022

Plant microbial fuel cells (P-MFCs) are sustainable and eco-friendly technologies, which use plant root exudates to directly nourish the electrochemically active bacteria (EABs) to generate sustainable electricity. However, their use in evaluating plant growth has been insufficiently studied. In this study, interconnection between plant growth and the production of bioelectricity was evaluated by using P-MFCs inoculated with 642.865 mL ≅ 643 mL of livestock’s urine such as cow urine, goat urine, and sheep urine. The greatest mean stem diameter of 0.52 ± 0.01 cm was found in P-MFC-3 inoculated with goat urine, while the P-MFC-2 treated with cow urine reached a higher average number of roots with a value of 86 ± 2.50 (95% improvement) (p &lt; 0.05). Besides, P-MFC-4 presented greater height of 50.08 ± 0.67 cm. For polarization curve experiment a higher maximum power density of 132 ± 11.6 mW m−2 (931 mA m−2) was reached with cow urine; in turn, with regard to the long-term operation, the same reactor indicated a higher maximum average power density of 43.68 ± 3.05 mW m−2. The study’s findings indicated that Stevia P-MFC inoculated with urine was a good option to increase the biomass amount for the agricultural plants along with power generation. Further, this study opens the way for more investigation of evaluating the impact of P-MFC on plant growth.

Margaret. A. Adekanle, Julius K. Oloke, O. Catherine Adekunle et al.

Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences • 2020

Power supply has remained a challeng issue in developing coutries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potentials of selected yeast species for bioelectricity generation. Different yeast species were isolated from cassava wastewater, whey wastewater, human urine, and rabbit dung using the spread plate method. These isolates were identified using analytical profile index (API). Results obtained revealed the identity of the isolated yeast species as Candida famata, Candida hellenical. Candida tropicalis and Saccharomyces cerevisia (using API method).The isolated yeast species were used singly, and as a consortium for bioelectricity generation, and yeast in continuous mode. The same wastes as used for the isolation process were evaluated as possible substrates for the generation of bioelectricity. Out of the four wastes used, cassava processing wastewater gave the highest bioelectricity potential and was subsequently used as substrate for further study. Saccharomyces cerevisiae elicited the highest electricity generation when the four yeast species were used singly (1.08V). A consortium of the four isolates elicited a synergis effect, generating 1.57V of voltage. Stacking of the Microbial Fuel Cell(MFC) components improved voltage to 2.4V due to its lower internal resistance within the stacked materials. It is apparent from the results obtained in this study that when properly harnessed, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) technology could serve as alternate source of renewable energy.&#x0D; Keywords: Microbial fuel cells, Waste, yeasts, Salt- Bridge, Nafion117.

Catalina González-Nava, Michel Canul-Chan, Juan Campos et al.

Revista Internacional de Contaminación Ambiental • 2024

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) constitute an attractive alternative as an environmental remediation technology since they can generate electrical current using organic waste as a substrate. Since the performance of MFCs depends on the characteristics of the biofilm on the anode surface, it is important to assess the genetic information of the microorganisms that grow on the electrode. For this purpose, a sewage sludge sample was obtained from a wastewater treatment plant and used to inoculate a type H MFC. Electrochemical characterization, on one hand, indicates that while the biofilm has a typical electrochemical performance reflected by the generated voltage (near 0.4 V) and by the electroactivity observed in cyclic voltammetry experiments, and on the other hand, the metagenomic analysis shows that the most abundant genera are Pseudomonacea, Nitrosomonas, Hyphomonas, and Opitutus. The study also indicates that the biofilm’s electroactive microorganisms can metabolize amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrates and possess genetic tools for ionic transport and energy production. Regarding the electron acceptor/donator capabilities, several oxidases, reductases, and complexes were identified, mainly terminal cytochrome C oxidase and respiratory complex I, which could be associated with the exoelectrogenic capacity of the microorganisms. Finally, the metagenomic information indicates that the biofilm can synthesize rhamnose, sialic acid, and alginate molecules, which could possibly be associated with the formation and consolidation of the microbial biofilm.

Teng Howe Cheng, Kok Boon Ching, Chessda Uttraphan et al.

Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science • 2020

Plant microbial fuel cell (P-MFC) is an electrochemical reactor that converts organic compounds to electrical energy through the catalytic reaction from electrochemically active bacteria (EAB). However, there is no sign of an attempt in developing the functional model in predicting the energy conversion and utilization of P-MFC. In this study, an analytic model is proposed to show the whole production process of the organic compound to electrical energy generation. &lt;em&gt;Pandanus Amaryllifolius&lt;/em&gt; plant was used as sources of photosynthate, where biomass product from rhizodeposition, acetate was produced, and soil bacteria as the microbial culture, and air as the input to the cathode chamber. The proposed analytical model is able to predict the output of the P-MFC using the parameters from the experiment. The generated data from the model was then compared with the monitored data from the &lt;em&gt;Pandanus Amaryllifolius &lt;/em&gt;P-MFC. The results show the electrical power output has a high similarity pattern with the bacterial growth curve model and able to achieve the coulombic efficiency of 95.32%.

K. Sathish Kumar, Omar Solorza-Feria, G. Vázquez-Huerta et al.

ECS Transactions • 2011

Anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) perform an unusual form of respiration in which their electron acceptor is a solid anode. The focus of this study was to characterize the electrical stress direct evolution of biocatalysts as a way of enriching the community with ARB for microbial fuel cell. We gave the electrical stress continually to the Texcoco bacterial community at -150mV/SCE. The 4th day current started to increase and attained the maximum current of 0.35mA in the 15 th day. The current in this period was associated to biofilm growth. On the 15thday and by using cyclic voltammetery, an irreversible electron transfer reaction of alkaliphilic cytochrome was found, due to the electrode fouling. From the impedance measurement, the biofilm ARB resistance was determined (~250Ω). Further confocal microscopy studies of biofilm ARB revealed ~6µm thickness. In the single chamber microbial fuel cell, the electrochemical stressed biofilm-ARB exhibited a maximum power density of 79mW/m2

B. Li, Z. Zhao, Z. Weng et al.

Fuel Cells • 2020

Abstract To boost the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a novel material of polypyrrole nanowires (PPy‐NWs) modified by carbon dots (CDs) is synthesized by polymerizing pyrrole monomers and CDs, in which CDs are attached and distributed on the surface of the PPy‐NWs, thus leading to the rough surface with a special dot‐line structure. Such CDs/PPy‐NW composite with special unique structure exhibits superior properties, and excellent performance is found for MFC using CDs/PPy‐NW composite as anode. The electron transfer rate increases to 0.0934 s −1 with a sharp rise by 26% over pure PPy‐NWs, and the resistances of CDs/PPy‐NW electrode are only one third of those of pure PPy‐NWs electrode. Further, the mini‐MFC equipped with the CDs/PPy‐NW composite as anode exhibits a high open circuit voltage (630 mV) and its maximum power density with a value of 291.4 mW m −2 is twice that of the mini‐MFC equipped with pure PPy‐NWs anode. These results demonstrate CDs/PPy‐NW with a unique dot‐line structure as a more promising anode material for MFC application.

Pingying Zeng, Kang Wang, Ryan Falkenstein-Smith et al.

ASME 2014 12th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology • 2014

This study examines the successful development of a combustion-driven thermal transpiration-based combustor and a self-sustaining gas pump system having no moving parts and using readily storable hydrocarbon fuel. A stacked configuration was then integrated into the combustor creating a self-sustaining power generation system. In recent years, power generation devices employing hydrocarbon fuels rather than electrochemical storage as energy feedstock have been studied extensively due to the much higher energy densities of hydrocarbon fuels than the best available batteries. While many devices have been proposed including internal combustion engines and gas turbines, they all require the use of air to obtain a higher energy density so that only one reactant (fuel) need be carried. Thermal transpiration was accomplished by meeting two essential conditions: (1) gas flow in the transitional or molecular regime using glass microfiber filters as transpiration membranes and (2) a temperature gradient through the membrane using catalytic combustion downstream of the membrane. A cubic combustor was designed to house the thermal transpiration membrane and develop into a self-sustaining gas pump system. Fuel/Air would feed through an inlet into a mixing chamber that would flow into the thermal guard containing the thermal transpiration membrane. The thermal guard was developed from a high thermal conductivity stainless steel made into a cubic formation by using a 3D printing process. This configuration allowed both fuel and air to be transpired through the membrane meaning it was not possible for any reactant flow to occur as a result of the fuel supply pressure and only the membrane could draw reactants into the device. In addition to pumping, a single-chamber solid-oxide fuel cell (SC-SOFC) was incorporated into combustion driven thermal transpiration pumps to convert chemical or thermal energy into electrical energy for a self-contained portable power generation system. Experiments showed that transpiration pumps with larger porosity and larger overall size exhibited better performance, though membrane pore size had little effect. These results were quantitatively consistent with theoretical predictions. By exploiting the temperature and fuel/oxygen concentrations within the transpiration pump, the SOFC achieved a maximum power density of 40 mW/cm2. Despite being far lower than necessary for a power source to be competitive with batteries, this preliminary study signifies an on-going positive efficiency that has potential for improvement through optimizing SOFC technology.

Sona Kazemi, Madjid Mohseni, Khalid Fatih

Journal of Chemical Technology &amp; Biotechnology • 2014

Abstract BACKGROUND High cost and ohmic loss are two issues that microbial fuel cells ( MFC ) face before becoming economically viable. To address the high cost and ohmic loss issues, a flat‐plate MFC ( FPMFC ) configuration applying a passive air‐breathing cathode and a three‐dimensional anode was introduced. Electricity generation was examined in the FPMFC through operation in the presence and absence of a proton exchange membrane ( PEM ), and in batch and continuous modes. RESULTS Continuous operation of the FPMFC in the presence of a PEM favored power generation, mainly due to elimination of oxygen and biomass in the anode. Peak power density of 18 Wm ‐3 was produced in the presence of a PEM (ohmic resistance 40 Ω cm 2 ), which was more than 5‐fold higher than that with J‐cloth. During batch operation, the power density increased and reached maximum in the third batch (18 W m ‐3 at 60 A m ‐3 ). Greater stability was observed during continuous operation resulting in a 2.5‐fold increase in peak power density (44 W m ‐3 at 146 A m ‐3 ). CONCLUSION The passive air‐breathing FPMFC showed promising performance, offering a more economically viable configuration than the conventional FPMFCs using active (air, ferricyanide, and ferric iron) cathodes. © 2014 Crown copyright. Journal of Chemical Technology &amp; Biotechnology © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

Sun-Joon Byun, Zhen Huan Wang, Jun Son et al.

Preprints.org • 2017

We propose a wave-like design on the surface of cathode channels (wave form cathode channels) to improve oxidant delivery to gas diffusion layers (GDLs) [1-2]. We performed experiments using PEMFCs combined with wave form surface design on cathodes. We varied the factors of the distance between wave-bumps (the Adhesive distance, AD), and the size of the wave-bumps (the Expansion ratio, ER). The ADs are 3, 4, and 5 times the size of the half-circle bump&amp;rsquo;s radius, and the ERs are 1/1.5, 1/2, and 1/3 times the channel&amp;rsquo;s height. We evaluated the performances of the fuel cells, and compared the current-voltage (I-V) relations. For comparison, we prepared PEMFCs with conventional flat-surfaced oxygen channels. Our aim in this work is to identify fuel cell operation by modifying the surface design of channels, and ultimately to find the optimal design of cathode channels that will maximize fuel cell performance.

Johanna Dombrovskis, Victor Shokhen, Lisa Kylhammar et al.

ECS Meeting Abstracts • 2024

The fuel cell market is maturing, and the production volumes are increasing. In parallel, expectations on performance, lifetime and operational range for fuel cell stacks are growing. As fuel cell technology matures, more fuel cell stacks are used in real life applications instead of laboratory environment. These positive developments bring with them new challenges and opportunities to learn. Several of these challenges and their impact on stack design and validation will be discussed. The focus will be on optimization of useful stack power density, fuel cell stack conditioning, enlarging the LT-PEM fuel cell operation range and on durability testing. This talk addresses why conditioning and durability testing are closely connected and illustrates how this can impact stack platform and fuel cell development. In addition, the interactions between power density, stack integration and stack operational window are illustrated showing how each of these parameters could be optimized utilizing a current distribution plate and what trade-offs are relevant for optimized fuel cell stack and system performance. Powercell is active in various market segments and has developed stacks and stack components for ~20 years. The optimizations and trade-offs described hinge heavily on key PEM stack requirements which can be widely different in different PEM fuel cell market sectors, as illustrated by the emerging usage of fuel cells in aviation.

S. Mateo, A. Gonzalez del Campo, J. Lobato et al.

Biotechnology Progress • 2016

In this work, the long‐term effects of transient chemical oxygen demands (COD) concentrations over the performance of a microbial fuel cell were studied. From the obtained results, it was observed that the repetitive change in the COD loading rate during 12 h conditioned the behavior of the system during periods of up to 7 days. The main modifications were the enhancement of the COD consumption rate and the exerted current. These enhancements yielded increasing Coulombic efficiencies (CEs) when working with COD concentrations of 300 mg/L, but constant CEs when working with COD concentrations from 900 to 1800 mg/L. This effect could be explained by the higher affinity for the substrate of Geobacter than that of the nonelectrogenic organisms such as Clostridia . © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 32:883–890, 2016

Z. Fu, K. Li, L. Pu et al.

Fuel Cells • 2016

Abstract One of the main limiting factors for scaling up microbial fuel cells (MFCs) technology is to develop low‐cost and high‐efficiency cathode. A new and simplified approach was developed by using a commercial waterproof breathable membrane (WBM) as gas diffusion layer (GDL) material as substitution for conventional polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) GDL. Air‐cathode with the WBM pasted (AC‐P) onto the stainless steel mesh (SSM) achieved a maximum power density of 611 ± 10 mWm −2 , which was similar to that using a PTFE GDL by rolling method (645 ± 12 mWm −2 , AC‐R). Physical and electrochemical techniques were employed to investigate the morphology and electrochemical characteristics of the cathode. The result demonstrated that AC‐P had a higher current density and internal resistance than AC‐R. Besides, the WBM had a higher porosity and uniform texture. The study showed that the WBM was a kind of good GDL material for easy preparation, low cost and stable performance of cathode construction.

Sadiq Haruna, Hindatu Yusuf, Ahmad Muhammed Gumel et al.

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences • 2024

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have shown promise as a sustainable technology for wastewater treatment and energy recovery. In this study, cattle dung was used as an inoculum and kitchen waste (KW) from Dutse urban, Nigeria was used as a substrate for bioelectricity generation in MFC. The MFC was operated in a fed-batch mode over 37 days, spanning three cycles. During characterization, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the KW was found to be 30421 ± 124 mg/L, indicating a high concentration of organic pollutants. The MFC's performance was evaluated based on the voltage generated, with the first cycle reaching a peak of 254 mV, the second cycle 247 mV, and the third cycle 242 mV. Current and power densities during the three cycles decreased gradually from 66.84 mA/m² and 16.84 mW/m² in the first cycle to 63.68 mA/m² and 15.41 mW/m² in the third cycle respectively. Furthermore, there was a notable reduction in COD from the influent diluted from initial measured COD, from 1120 ± 63 mg/L to an effluent level of 226 ± 49 mg/L, indicating approximately 80% removal rate. The pH of the anolyte progressively dropped with each cycle, reflecting the metabolic activities of bacteria in the anode chamber. The findings underscore MFC's potential for organic waste management and electricity generation, with results outperforming some contemporary studies.