Hidetoshi Ogikubo, Naoto Ohtake

Key Engineering Materials • 2012

Bio- Fuel Cell is promising technology to overcome global issue. However, there are many problems in Bio-fuel cell using organism catalyst because research of this type of fuel cell is started in only few years. Purpose of this research is to obtain high electric power using new type of electrode in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). Firstly, three types of electrodes were prepared. Those are (1) painted CNT (Carbon Nanotube) by Ag paste, (2) only Ag paste (without CNT) and (3) bare carbon thin plate. MFC with CNT painted (2) electrode generated high current density and high power in MFC, but its E.M.F (Electromotive Force) was decreased. When CNT painting was applied only to anode, high current and power densities were attained without reducing E.M.F.

A. Verma, R. Pitchumani

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology • 2015

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are well suited for automotive applications compared to other types of fuel cells owing to their faster transient response and low-temperature operation. Due to rapid change in loads during automotive applications, study of dynamic behavior is of paramount importance. This study focuses on elucidating the transient response of a PEM fuel cell for specified changes in operating parameters, namely, voltage, pressure, and stoichiometry at the cathode and the anode. Transient numerical simulations are carried out for a single-channel PEM fuel cell to illustrate the response of power as the operating parameters are subjected to specified changes. These parameters are also optimized with an objective to match the power requirements of an automotive drive cycle over a certain period of time.

O. Lefebvre, A. Uzabiaga, Y. J. Shen et al.

Water Science and Technology • 2011

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for microbial fuel cells (MEA-MFC) was developed for continuous electricity production while treating domestic wastewater concurrently. It was optimized via three upgraded versions (noted α, β and γ) in terms of design (current collectors, hydrophilic separator nature) and operating conditions (hydraulic retention time, external resistance, aeration rate, recirculation). An overall rise of power by over 100% from version α to γ shows the importance of factors such as the choice of proper construction materials and prevention of short-circuits. A power of 2.5 mW was generated with a hydraulic retention time of 2.3 h when a Selemion proton exchange membrane was used as a hydrophilic separator in the MEA and 2.8 mW were attained with a reverse osmosis membrane. The MFC also showed a competitive value of internal resistance (≈40–50 Ω) as compared to the literature, especially considering its large volume (3 L). However, the operation of our system in a complete loop where the anolyte was allowed to trickle over the cathode (version γ) resulted in system failure.

Lu Lu, Defeng Xing, Zhiyong Jason Ren

Bioresource Technology • 2015

Glyn Kennell, Godwin, Evitts

Reports in Electrochemistry • 2012

A. Hussain, P. Mehta, V. Raghavan et al.

Enzyme and Microbial Technology • 2012

Patrick D. Kiely, Roland Cusick, Douglas F. Call et al.

Bioresource Technology • 2010

Parisa Noori, Ghasem Najafpour Darzi

Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry • 2015

Abstract Development and practical application of microbial fuel cell (MFC) is restricted because of the limitations such as low power output. To overcome low power limitation, the optimization of specific parameters including electrode materials and surface area, electrode spacing, and MFC's cell shape was investigated. To the best of our knowledge, no investigation has been reported in the literature to implement an annular single‐chamber microbial fuel cell (ASCMFC) using chocolate industry wastewater. ASCMFC was fabricated via optimization of the stated parameters. The aspects of ASCMFC were comprehensively examined. In this study, the optimization of electrode spacing and its impact on performance of the ASCMFC were conducted. Reduction of electrode spacing by 46.15% (1.3–0.7 cm) resulted in a decrease in internal resistance from 100 to 50 Ω, which enhanced the power density and current output to 22.898 W/m 3 and 6.42 mA, respectively. An optimum electrode spacing of 0.7 cm was determined. Through this paper, the effects of these parameters and the performance of ASCMFC are also evaluated.

Carlo Santoro, Sofia Babanova, Kateryna Artyushkova et al.

ECS Meeting Abstracts • 2014

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising technology that explores biological and electrochemical processes to generate electricity from variety of organic compounds (wastes and wastewater) [1]. Developed at the beginning of 20-th century, regarding the significant achievements, MFCs are still “lab stage” devices. One way to overcome the “lab stage” is the materials characterization and optimization. Besides the necessity of well studied and understood bacterial behavior in MFCs, the knowledge of how materials and design, as well as design parameters are influencing MFCs performance is a main task placed in front of the researchers in this area. In the traditional fuel cells, the structure-to-property modeling is recognized as an effective approach to identify the key parameters influencing the system behavior and to discover the correlations between these parameters and the final characteristics. The same approach must be introduced in MFCs in order to address the questions that the conventional fuel cells faced and overcame years ago. In this study, structure-to-property relationship of different carbonaceous materials suitable for anode and cathode electrodes development have been developed in details and related to the performance of these electrodes was explored in real MFCs. Commercially available carbon paper (Toray® paper) was studied as material for anodes preparation. Surface parameters, such as wettability, porosity and roughness have been determined and related to the bacterial attachment and biofilm formation, as well as MFCs start up time. On the other end “home-made” activated carbon was studied as a material for the design of cathode electrodes and optimized varying the applied pressure and the magnitude of the temperature treatment step. These two parameters showed significant influence on the cathodes surface chemistry and morphology and thus on the cathodes electrochemical behavior. In both cases surface-to-property relationship approach was applied to understand the similarities and differences in the studied electrodes and highlight the properties that are important for improved MFCs performance. Carbon paper (Toray® H-090) with different PTFE content (0, 20, 40 and 60%wt PTFE) was used as anode material. The results showed that the increase in PTFE content led to an increase in roughness in both macro (100-300 μm) and micro-scale (5-10 μm) along with an increase of the porosity at macro-scale underling the presence of higher number of large pores [2]. At the contrary, the higher PTFE content led to a lower number of small pores (5-10 μm) that are the one preferred by bacteria for bacterial attachment and biofilm formation [2]. The contact angles measured varied between 135° and 155°, showing high hydrophobicity independent from the PTFE amount. After immersion in wastewater for 2 weeks, the contact angle dropped dramatically to slightly hydrophobic or completely hydrophilic. This phenomenon was mainly due to biofilm attachment on the surface that enhanced the wettability of the materials. Variation of anodes weight over time was also monitored to correlate the materials surface properties to bacteria attachment and further biofilm formation. The materials lost their hydrophobicity proportionally to the PTFE content and due to that the Toray® carbon paper with low PTFE content (0 and 20%wt PTFE) had higher increase in weight (wet and dry) compared to the other materials tested (40 and 60%wt PTFE) (Fig. 1) [2]. The reason is the increased number of small pores, which enhanced biofilm formation. The start up trend followed the biofilm attachment with the faster start up achieved by the Toray® with no PTFE treatment (Fig. 1) [2]. All of these points out the importance of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties and surface morphology on biofilm formation and subsequently the start up period of MFCs [2]. Even more detailed study was carried out for the developed gas-diffusion cathodes based on activated carbon. In this case except the surface morphology parameters, the surface chemistry and charge transfer resistance were included in the surface-to-property study and correlated with the electrochemical performance of the electrodes. Significant dataset was collected and processed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which is a statistical tool for data analysis (Fig. 2). The change in surface chemistry (determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) due to PTFE variation was found to have significant influence on the power output. The highest current was observed for samples with largest amounts of carbon oxides and oxygenated tetrafluroethylene (cathodes treated at 200°C). At the contrary, the highest resistance as well as lowest performance was noticed for the sample having increased amount of fully fluorinated carbons. It was found out that the magnitude of the applied pressure also determines the resistance of the cathodes showing reverse proportionality. Based on this study we can conclude that a step forward in the MFCs development can be done only with detailed investigation of surface-to-property relationships. Further studies on materials towards deeper characterizations should be addressed and parameter considered until know as insignificant or completely ignored have to be examined. [1] C. Santoro, Y. Lei, B. Li, P. Cristiani. Biochemical Engineering J. 2012;62:8–16. [2] C. Santoro, M. Guilizzoni, J.P. Correa Baena, U. Pasaogullari, A. Casalegno, B. Li, S. Babanova, K. Artyushkova, P. Atanassov. Carbon, 2013. DOI : 10.1016/j.carbon.2013.09.071

A. N. Al-Shehri, K. M. Ghanem, S. M. Al-Garni

Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering • 2012

Meiling Chi

Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology • 2012

Dustin McLarty, Jack Brouwer, Scott Samuelsen

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology • 2013

Ultrahigh efficiency, ultralow emission fuel cell gas turbine (FC/GT) hybrid technology represents a significant breakthrough in electric power generation. FC/GT hybrid designs are potentially fuel flexible, dynamically responsive, scalable, low-emission generators. The current work develops a library of dynamic component models and system design tools that are used to conceptualize and evaluate hybrid cycle configurations. The physical models developed for the design analysis are capable of off-design simulation, perturbation analysis, dispatch evaluation, and control development. A parametric variation of seven fundamental design parameters provides insights into design and development requirements of FC/GT hybrids. As the primary generator in most configurations, the FC design choices dominate the system performance, but the optimal design space may be substantially different from a stand-alone FC system. FC operating voltage, fuel utilization, and balance of plant component sizing has large impacts on cost, performance, and functionality. Analysis shows that hybridization of existing fuel cell and gas turbine technology can approach 75% fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiency.

Abdul Majeed Khan, Muhammad Obaid

Journal of Energy in Southern Africa • 2015

This article demonstrates the new approaches for the generation of bioelectricity from waste citrus fruit using direct a galvanic cell (DGC), an indirect galvanic cell (IDGC), a conventional fuel cell (CFC) and a microbial fuel cell (MFC). The citrus fruit was used as whole for the preparation of DGC and their juices for the preparation of IDGC, CFC and MFC. The performance and bioelectrical parameters obtained were compared. The voltage found to be increased by increasing the number of cells in a series while, the current remains constant. Whereas the voltage remains constant and the current found to be increased with increasing the number of cells in parallel sequence. The power output of three units of citrus fruit connected together in a series found to be sufficient to turn on the LED light bulb in all cases. The result showed that lemons have the maximum power output by the DGC and MFC method, whereas grapefruit showed the maximum power output by IDGC, and thus considered as the best citrus fruit. Addition of NaCl solution in DGC and IDGC slightly increased the values of power output. The power output of citrus fruit was also determined by CFC and MFC before and after the inoculation of Escherichia coli. The detailed microscopic analysis of all the samples was carried out. It is found that all MFCs have higher power output as compared to their counterpart CFCs. However, maximum power output was displayed by DGCs. Moreover, a lemon fuel cell has the higher power output as compared to the fuel cells of other citrus fruit. This approach can be used to overcome the disadvantages of many non-renewable and conventional sources of energy including burning of fossil fuels to mitigate the major source of global warming and pollution by using such biodegradable and renewable sources.

Shentan Liu, Hailiang Song, Size Wei et al.

Bioresource Technology • 2014

Mohammadreza Hosseinpour, Manouchehr Vossoughi, Iran Alemzadeh

Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering • 2014

Abstract Background In the recent study, optimum operational conditions of cathode compartment of microbial fuel cell were determined by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a central composite design to maximize power density and COD removal. Methods The interactive effects of parameters such as, pH, buffer concentration and ionic strength on power density and COD removal were evaluated in two-chamber microbial batch-mode fuel cell. Results Power density and COD removal for optimal conditions (pH of 6.75, buffer concentration of 0.177 M and ionic strength of cathode chamber of 4.69 mM) improve by 17 and 5%, respectively, in comparison with normal conditions (pH of 7, buffer concentration of 0.1 M and ionic strength of 2.5 mM). Conclusions In conclusion, results verify that response surface methodology could successfully determine cathode chamber optimum operational conditions.

Da-yu Yu, Gang Wang, Fu-chao Xu et al.

Energy Procedia • 2011

Sara Madani, Reza Gheshlaghi, Mahmood Akhavan Mahdavi et al.

Fuel • 2015

Amr El-Hag Ali, Ola M. Gomaa, Reham Fathey et al.

Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology • 2015

Wentao Su, Lixia Zhang, Yong Tao et al.

Electrochemistry Communications • 2012

Zahra Ghasemi Naraghi, Soheila Yaghmaei, Mohammad Mahdi Mardanpour et al.

Electrochimica Acta • 2015

Xin Wang, Ningshengjie Gao, Qixing Zhou

Biosensors and Bioelectronics • 2013

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) provide an opportunity to detect biological toxicity of water samples. However, the concentration responses of toxins had not been investigated in detail. Using formaldehyde as a toxic substance, the current responses were analyzed over a concentration range from 0.01% to 0.10% in a single chambered BES with 0mV (versus saturated calomel electrode) applied on the anode. The decay percentages of currents increased in proportion with the concentration of formaldehyde after 10000s (∼2.8h), with the peak R(2) of 0.9361 observed at 35,000s (∼9.7h). Fitting results of exponential decay equation showed that the magnification factor (a) closely related with baseline currents and the toxicity factor (b) was in direct proportion to formaldehyde concentration (from 0% to 0.08%) except over the high concentration of 0.10%. These results provide preliminary information about toxin concentration responses in BESs.

Sunil A. Patil, Cecilia Hägerhäll, Lo Gorton

Bioanalytical Reviews • 2012

Xiaojin Li, Ibrahim Abu-Reesh, Zhen He

Agriculture • 2015

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are a newly emerged technology for energy-efficient water and wastewater treatment. Much effort as well as significant progress has been made in advancing this technology towards practical applications treating various types of waste. However, BES application for agriculture has not been well explored. Herein, studies of BES related to agriculture are reviewed and the potential applications of BES for promoting sustainable agriculture are discussed. BES may be applied to treat the waste/wastewater from agricultural production, minimizing contaminants, producing bioenergy, and recovering useful nutrients. BES can also be used to supply irrigation water via desalinating brackish water or producing reclaimed water from wastewater. The energy generated in BES can be used as a power source for wireless sensors monitoring the key parameters for agricultural activities. The importance of BES to sustainable agriculture should be recognized, and future development of this technology should identify proper application niches with technological advancement.

Ran Tel‐Vered, Itamar Willner

ChemElectroChem • 2014

Abstract The native photosynthetic reaction centers photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) act as functional nanostructures for the assembly of photo‐biofuel cells. By electrical wiring of PSI and/or PSII with electrodes, the conversion of light energy into electrical power has been demonstrated. Different methodologies to electrically contact the photosystems with the electrodes have been developed, including the reconstitution of the photosystems on relay units, the application of redox‐active polymers as charge‐transport matrices, and the use of metallic nanoparticles or nanoclusters as electron‐transfer relays. Electrical contact of the photosystems with the electrodes facilitates charge separation of the redox intermediates generated upon illumination of the assemblies, thus retarding destructive back electron‐transfer reactions and enhancing the conversion of light energy into electrical power. Recent advances to fabricate electrically wired PSI and/or PSII electrodes are surveyed, and different approaches to assemble photo‐bioelectrochemical cells are discussed. The limitations and future perspectives of the systems will also be presented.

Dan Cui

Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology • 2010

Ryan C. Tice, Younggy Kim

Water Research • 2014

Bipro Ranjan Dhar, Hyung-Sool Lee

Environmental Technology • 2013

Increasing energy demand has been a big challenge for current society, as the fossil fuel sources are gradually decreasing. Hence, development of renewable and sustainable energy sources for the future is considered one of the top priorities in national strategic plans. Bioenergy can meet future energy requirements - renewability, sustainability, and even carbon-neutrality. Bioenergy production from wastes and wastewaters is especially attractive because of dual benefits of energy generation and contaminant stabilization. There are several bioenergy technologies using wastes and wastewaters as electron donor, which include anaerobic digestion, dark biohydrogen fermentation, biohydrogen production using photosynthetic microorganisms, and bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Among them BES seems to be very promising as we can produce a variety of value-added products from wastes and wastewaters, such as electric power, hydrogen gas, hydrogen peroxide, acetate, ethanol etc. Most ofthe traditional BES uses a membrane to separate the anode and cathode chamber, which is essential for improving microbial metabolism on the anode and the recovery of value-added products on the cathode. Performance of BES lacking a membrane can be seriously deteriorated, due to oxygen diffusion or substantial loss of synthesized products. For this reason, usage of a membrane seems essential to facilitate BES performance. However, a membrane can bring several technical challenges to BES application compared to membrane-less BES. These challenges include poor proton permeability, substrate loss, oxygen back diffusion, pH gradient, internal resistance, biofouling, etc. This paper aims to review the major technical barriers associated with membranes and future research directions for their application in BESs.

Amit Kumar, Krishna Katuri, Piet Lens et al.

ChemInform • 2013

Abstract Review: 41 refs.

Amit Kumar, Krishna Katuri, Piet Lens et al.

Biochemical Society Transactions • 2012

Electrochemical gradients are the backbone of basic cellular functions, including chemo-osmotic transport and ATP synthesis. Microbial growth, terminal respiratory proteins and external electron transfer are major pathways competing for electrons. In BESs (bioelectrochemical systems), such as MFCs (microbial fuel cells), the electron flow can be via soluble inorganic/organic molecules or to a solid surface. The flow of electrons towards a solid surface can be via outer-membrane cytochromes or electron-shuttle molecules, mediated by conductive protein nanowires or extracellular matrices. In MECs (microbial electrolysis cells), the anode potential can vary over a wide range, which alters the thermodynamic energy available for bacteria capable of donating electrons to the electrode [termed EAB (electroactive bacteria)]. Thus the anode potential is an important electrochemical parameter determining the growth, electron distribution/transfer and electrical activity of films of these bacteria on electrodes. Different optimal applied potentials to anodes have been suggested in the literature, for selection for microbial growth, diversity and performance in biofilms on electrodes. In the present paper, we review the effects of anode potentials on electron-transfer properties of such biofilms, and report on the effect that electrochemical cell configuration may have on performance.

Stefano Freguia, Bernardino Virdis, Falk Harnisch et al.

Electrochimica Acta • 2012

Subir Paul

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology • 2012

A bioelectrochemical fuel was fabricated with pretreated and fermented rice husks. The fuel was characterized with variation of process variables by determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) which is a measure of the oxygen equivalent of electrochemically oxidizable organic fuel to produce electrical energy. The electrodes of the cell were made with nanoporous pure Al coated with platinum, platinum-ruthenium, and platinum-ruthenium-carbon. Anodization parameters were optimized by studying E-I characteristics in sulfuric and oxalic acids with variation of concentration and temperature. Pore size on the order of 30–50 nm was obtained by a two stage anodization. The performance of the cell was evaluated by determining open circuit potential, E-I characteristics, polarization studies, and cyclic voltammetry. A steady onload potential of 600–800 mV was obtained with current density on the order of 15–25 mA/cm2. High power density of 10–15 mW/cm2 has been obtained with electrode materials coated with Pt + Ru or Pt + Ru + C. The performance of coating on nanoporous structure was greatly reflected in the polarization studies, which showed a huge reduction of polarization resistance and increase of exchange current density by many times, the effect being more for anode with anodic solution, fermented rice husk, than with cathode with phosphate buffer cathodic solution. The surface morphology examined by SEM, showed nanodeposits of Pt, Pt-Ru, and the presence of carbon like structure. XRD peaks clearly reveal presence of Pt, Pt-Ru, and carbon.

Abhijeet Borole

Sustainability • 2015

Conversion of biomass into bioenergy is possible via multiple pathways resulting in the production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. Efficient and sustainable conversion of biomass, however, requires consideration of many environmental and societal parameters in order to minimize negative impacts. Integration of multiple conversion technologies and inclusion of upcoming alternatives, such as bioelectrochemical systems, can minimize these impacts via production of hydrogen, electricity or other forms of energy from the low value streams and improve conservation of resources, such as water and nutrients via recycle and reuse. This report outlines alternate pathways integrating microbial electrolysis in biorefinery schemes to improve energy efficiency, while evaluating environmental sustainability parameters.

Harvey N. Seiger

The Scientific World Journal • 2011

When external measurements are made of electrochemical systems, including bioelectrochemical, there results an interaction. Such measurements cause electrochemical processes to take place that are significant. This work looks into the nature and significance of the interfacial processes on membrane and membrane phenomena. The conclusion reached is that interfacial processes are important and cannot be overlooked.

Konstantin Nikolaev, Sergey Ermakov, Yuri Ermolenko et al.

Bioelectrochemistry • 2015

Paweł Sobieszuk, Anna Zamojska-Jaroszewicz, Krystian Frahn

New Biotechnology • 2012

Narendran Sekar, Ramaraja P. Ramasamy

ECS Transactions • 2015

Cyanobacteria exhibit light dependent exoelectrogenic activity in photo-bioelectrochemical cells (PBEC) generating substantial photocurrent. However compared to the other competing technologies such as photovoltaics, the photocurrent generated by cyanobacteria is lower and is not suitable yet to become a viable alternative technology. Initiatives to understand and enhance the exoelectrogenicity of cyanobacteria are crucial to resolve this caveat. In this perspective, a cyanobacterium named Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 was genetically engineered to express a heterologous protein called outer membrane cytochrome S for enhancing its exoelectrogenicity. The genetically engineered cyanobacteria exhibited nearly 9 fold higher photocurrent generation than the corresponding wild-type cyanobacterium. Further, power density generated by the genetically engineered cyanobacteria in a rudimentary PBEC was found to be five times higher than that generated by wild-type. The multidisciplinary research work presented here highlights the scope for enhancing photocurrent generation by cyanobacteria thereby benefiting faster advancement of PBEC technology.

Narendran Sekar, Ramaraja P. Ramasamy

ECS Meeting Abstracts • 2015

Photosynthetic energy conversion using natural systems is increasingly being investigated in the recent years. Photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria exhibit light dependent electrogenic characteristics in photo bio-electrochemical cells 1 (PBEC) and/or photosynthetic microbial fuel cells 2 (PMFC) that generate substantial yet lower photocurrents than their photovoltaics counterparts. Recently we demonstrated that a cyanobacterium named Nostoc sp. employed in PBEC could generate up to 35 mW/m 2 even in a non-engineered PBEC. With the insights obtained from our previous research 2 , a novel and successful attempt has been made in the current study to genetically engineer the cyanobacteria to further enhance its extracellular electron transfer. The cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 was genetically engineered to express a non-native outer membrane redox protein. The engineered S. elongatus exhibited very high extracellular electron transfer ability resulting in ~ 9 fold higher photocurrent generation on the anode of a PBEC than the corresponding wild-type cyanobacterium. This work highlights the scope for enhancing photocurrent generation in cyanobacteria thereby benefiting faster advancement of the PMFC technology. References J. M. Pisciotta, Y. Zou and I. V. Baskakov, PLoS One, 2010, 5, 10 N. Sekar, Y. Umasankar, R. Ramasamy Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys., 2014,16,7862 Figure 1

Frauke Kracke, Igor Vassilev, Jens O. Krömer

Frontiers in Microbiology • 2015

Veera Gnaneswar Gude Bahareh Kokabian

Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology • 2012

Oskar Modin, Britt-Marie Wilén

Water Research • 2012