Graphite Fiber Brush Anodes for Increased Power Production in Air-Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells
详细信息 查看全文
- 作者：Bruce Logan ; Shaoan Cheng ; Valerie Watson ; Garett Estadt
- 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
- 出版年：2007
- 出版时间：May 1, 2007
- 年：2007
- 卷：41
- 期：9
- 页码：3341 - 3346
- 全文大小：421K
- 年卷期：v.41,no.9(May 1, 2007)
- ISSN：1520-5851
文摘
To efficiently generate electricity using bacteria inmicrobial fuel cells (MFCs), highly conductive noncorrosivematerials are needed that have a high specific surfacearea (surface area per volume) and an open structure toavoid biofouling. Graphite brush anodes, consisting of graphitefibers wound around a conductive, but noncorrosivemetal core, were examined for power production in cube(C-MFC) and bottle (B-MFC) air-cathode MFCs. Powerproduction in C-MFCs containing brush electrodes at 9600m2/m3 reactor volume reached a maximum power densityof 2400 mW/m2 (normalized to the cathode projected surfacearea), or 73 W/m3 based on liquid volume, with a maximumCoulombic efficiency (CE) of 60%. This power density,normalized by cathode projected area, is the highest valueyet achieved by an air-cathode system. The increasedpower resulted from a reduction in internal resistance from31 to 8 
mages/gifchars/Omega.gif" BORDER=0 >. Brush electrodes (4200 m2/m3) were alsotested in B-MFCs, consisting of a laboratory media bottlemodified to have a single side arm with a cathodeclamped to its end. B-MFCs inoculated with wastewaterproduced up to 1430 mW/m2 (2.3 W/m3, CE = 23%) with brushelectrodes, versus 600 mW/m2 with a plain carbon paperelectrode. These findings show that brush anodes that havehigh surface areas and a porous structure can producehigh power densities, and therefore have qualities that makethem ideal for scaling up MFC systems.