Saline catholytes as alternatives to phosphate buffers in microbial fuel cells
Type
ArticleAuthors
Ahn, Yongtae
Logan, Bruce E.
KAUST Grant Number
KUS-I1-003-13Date
2013-03Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/599547
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Highly saline solutions were examined as alternatives to chemical buffers in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The performance of two-chamber MFCs with different concentrations of saline solutions in the cathode chamber was compared to those with a buffered catholyte (50mM PBS). The use of a NaCl catholyte improved the CE to 43-60% (28% with no membrane) due to a reduction in oxygen transfer into the anolyte. The saline catholyte also reduced the membrane and solution resistance to 23Ω (41Ω without a membrane). The maximum power density of 491mW/m2 (240mM NaCl) was only 17% less than the MFC with 50mM PBS. The decrease in power output with highest salinity was due to reduced proton transfer due to the ion exchange membrane, and pH changes in the two solutions. These results show that MFC performance can be improved by using a saline catholyte without pH control. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.Citation
Ahn Y, Logan BE (2013) Saline catholytes as alternatives to phosphate buffers in microbial fuel cells. Bioresource Technology 132: 436–439. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.01.113.Sponsors
The research reported here was supported by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (Award KUS-I1-003-13).Publisher
Elsevier BVJournal
Bioresource TechnologyPubMed ID
23433978ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.biortech.2013.01.113