Power Generation Using Different Cation, Anion, and Ultrafiltration Membranes in Microbial Fuel Cells
详细信息 查看全文
- 作者：Jung Rae Kim ; Shaoan Cheng ; Sang-Eun Oh ; Bruce E. Logan
- 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
- 出版年：2007
- 出版时间：February 1, 2007
- 年：2007
- 卷：41
- 期：3
- 页码：1004 - 1009
- 全文大小：339K
- 年卷期：v.41,no.3(February 1, 2007)
- ISSN：1520-5851
文摘
Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are often used inmicrobial fuel cells (MFCs) to separate the liquid in the anodeand cathode chambers while allowing protons to passbetween the chambers. However, negatively or positivelycharged species present at high concentrations in themedium can also be used to maintain charge balance duringpower generation. An anion exchange membrane (AEM)produced the largest power density (up to 610 mW/m2) andCoulombic efficiency (72%) in MFCs relative to valuesachieved with a commonly used PEM (Nafion), a cationexchange membrane (CEM), or three different ultrafiltration(UF) membranes with molecular weight cut offs of 0.5K,1K, and 3K Daltons in different types of MFCs. The increasedperformance of the AEM was due to proton charge-transfer facilitated by phosphate anions and low internalresistance. The type of membrane affected maximum powerdensities in two-chamber, air-cathode cube MFCs(C-MFCs) with low internal resistance (84-91 
mages/gifchars/Omega.gif" BORDER=0 > for allmembranes except UF-0.5K) but not in two-chamber aqueous-cathode bottle MFCs (B-MFCs) due to their higherinternal resistances (1230-1272 mages/gifchars/Omega.gif" BORDER=0 > except UF-0.5K). The UF-0.5K membrane produced very high internal resistances(6009 mages/gifchars/Omega.gif" BORDER=0 >, B-MFC; 1814mages/gifchars/Omega.gif" BORDER=0 >, C-MFC) and was the least permeableto both oxygen (mass transfer coefficient of kO=0.19 ×10-4 cm/s) and acetate (kA=0.89 × 10-8 cm/s). Nafion wasthe most permeable membrane to oxygen (kO=1.3 ×10-4 cm/s), and the UF-3K membrane was the most permeableto acetate (kA=7.2 × 10-8 cm/s). Only a small percent ofsubstrate was unaccounted for based on measured Coulombicefficiencies and estimates of biomass production andsubstrate losses using Nafion, CEM, and AEM membranes(4-8%), while a substantial portion of substrate was lostto unidentified processes for the UF membranes (40-89%).These results show that many types of membranes canbe used in two-chambered MFCs, even membranes thattransfer negatively charged species.