Scalability of biomass-derived graphene derivative materials as viable anode electrode for a commercialized microbial fuel cell: A systematic review

Microbial fuel cell(MFC) is an advanced bioelectrochemical technique that can utilize biomass materials in the process of simultaneously generating electricity and biodegrading or bio transforming toxic pollutants from wastewater. The overall performance of the system is largely dependent on the efficiency of the anode electrode to enhance electron transportation. Furthermore, the anode electrode has a significant impact on the overall cost of MFC setup. Hence, the need to explore research focused towards developing cost-effective material as anode in MFC. This material must also have favourable properties for electron transportation. Graphene oxide(GO) derivatives and its modification with nanomaterials have been identified as a viable anode material. Herein, we discussed an economically effective strategy for the synthesis of graphene derivatives from waste biomass materials and its subsequent fabrication into anode electrode for MFC applications. This review article offers a promising approach towards replacing commercial graphene materials with biomass-derived graphene derivatives in a view to achieve a sustainable and commercialized MFC.

The growth of biopolymers and natural earthen sources as membrane/separator materials for microbial fuel cells:A comprehensive review

Microbial fuel cell(MFC)technology has emerged as an effective solution for energy insecurity and bioremediation.However,identifying suitable components(particularly separators or membranes)with the required properties,such as low cost and high performance,remains challenging and restricts practical application.Commercial membranes,such as Nafion,exhibit excellent performance in MFC.However,these membranes have high production costs,which considerably increase the overall MFC unit cell cost.Among the numerous types,the separators or membranes developed from biopolymers and naturally occurring earthen sources have proven to be a novel and efficient concept due to their natural abundance,cost-effectiveness(approximately$20 m^(-2),$5 m^(-2),and$1 kg-1for biopolymers,ceramics,and earthensources,respectively),structural properties,proton transportation,manufacturing and modification ease,and environmental friendliness.In this review,we emphasize cost-effective renewable green materials(biopolymers,bio-derived materials,and naturally occurring soil,clay,ceramics or minerals)for MFC applications for the first time.Biopolymers with good thermal,mechanical,and water retention properties,sustainability,and environmental friendliness,such as cellulose and chitosan,are typically preferred.Furthermore,the modification or introduction of various functional groups in biopolymers to enhance their functional properties and scale MFC power density is explored.Subsequently,separator/membrane development using various bio-sources(such as coconut shells,banana peels,chicken feathers,and tea waste ash)is described.Additionally,naturally occurring sources such as clay,montmorillonite,and soils(including red,black,rice-husk,and Kalporgan soil)for MFC were reviewed.In conclusion,the existing gap in MFC technology was filled by providing recommendations for future aspects based on the barriers in cost,environment,and characteristics.

Influence of Cathode Modification by Chitosan and Fe^(3+)on the Electrochemical Performance of Marine Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell

The electrochemical performances of cathode play a key role in the marine sediment microbial fuel cells(MSMFCs)as a long lasting power source to drive instruments,especially when the dissolved oxygen concentration is very low in seawater.A CTS-Fe^(3+)modified cathode is prepared here by grafting chitosan(CTS)on a carbon fiber surface and then chelating Fe^(3+)through the coordination process.The electrochemical performance in seawater and the output power of the assembled MSMFCs are both studied.The results show that the exchange current densities of CTS and the CTS-Fe^(3+)group are 5.5 and 6.2 times higher than that of the blank group,respectively.The potential of the CTS-Fe^(3+)modified cathode increases by 138 mV.The output power of the fuel cell(613.0 mW m^(-2))assembled with CTS-Fe^(3+)is 54 times larger than that of the blank group(11.4 mW m^(-2))and the current output corresponding with the maximum power output also increases by 56 times.Due to the valence conversion between Fe^(3+)and Fe^(2+)on the modified cathode,the kinetic activity of the dissolved oxygen reduction is accelerated and the depolarization capability of the cathode is enhanced,resulting higher cell power.On the basis of this study,the new cathode materials will be encouraged to design with the complex of iron ion in natural seawater as the catalysis for oxygen reduction to improve the cell power in deep sea.

Bimetallic catalysts as electrocatalytic cathode materials for the oxygen reduction reaction in microbial fuel cell:A review

Microbial fuel cell(MFC) is one synchronous power generation device for wastewater treatment that takes into account environmental and energy issues, exhibiting promising potential. Sluggish oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) kinetics on the cathode remains by far the most critical bottleneck hindering the practical application of MFC. An ideal cathode catalyst should possess excellent ORR activity, stability, and costeffectiveness, experiments have demonstrated that bimetallic catalysts are one of the most promising ORR catalysts currently. Based on this, this review mainly analyzes the reaction mechanism(ORR mechanisms, synergistic effects), advantages(combined with characterization technologies), and typical synthesis methods of bimetallic catalysts, focusing on the application effects of early Pt-M(M = Fe, Co, and Ni) alloys to bifunctional catalysts in MFC, pointing out that the main existing challenges remain economic analysis, long-term durability and large-scale application, and looking forward to this. At last, the research trend of bimetallic catalysts suitable for MFC is evaluated, and it is considered that the development and research of metal-organic framework(MOF)-based bimetallic catalysts are still worth focusing on in the future, intending to provide a reference for MFC to achieve energy-efficient wastewater treatment.

Three-Dimensional N-Doped Carbon Nanotube/Graphene Composite Aerogel Anode to Develop High-Power Microbial Fuel Cell

Optimizing the structure of electrode materials is one of the most effective strategies for designing high-power microbial fuel cells(MFCs).However,electrode materials currently suffer from a series of shortcomings that limit the output of MFCs,such as high intrinsic resistance,poor electrolyte wettability,and low microbial load capacity.Here,a three-dimensional(3D)nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotube/graphene(N-MWCNT/GA)composite aerogel is synthesized as the anode for MFCs.Comparing nitrogen-doped GA,MWCNT/GA,and N-MWCNT/GA,the macroporous hydrophilic N-MWCNT/GA electrode with an average pore size of 4.24μm enables high-density loading of the microbes and facilitates extracellular electron transfer with low intrinsic resistance.Consequently,the hydrophilic surface of N-MWCNT can generate high charge mobility,enabling a high-power output performance of the MFC.In consequence,the MFC system based on N-MWCNT/GA anode exhibits a peak power density and output voltage of 2977.8 mW m^(−2)and 0.654 V,which are 1.83 times and 16.3%higher than those obtained with MWCNT/GA,respectively.These results demonstrate that 3D N-MWCNT/GA anodes can be developed for high-power MFCs in different environments by optimizing their chemical and microstructures.

黄铁矿基MFC-CW耦合系统反硝化动力学研究

研究比较了黄铁矿基双阳极MFC-CW在不同碳氮比(0和2.5)及初始硝酸盐浓度(7、14和28 mg/L)条件下上阳极和下阳极的反硝化速率,以及对不同阶段硝酸盐还原反应动力学的模拟,从动力学角度揭示系统自养-异养协同反硝化机理。结果显示:不同碳氮比下系统两阳极硝酸盐还原效果差异不大,而亚硝酸盐累积、硫酸盐生成的差别较大,两阳极处微生物群落组成相似,优势菌属的相对丰度受C/N、阳极位置影响较大;两阳极处的硝酸盐还原动力学均属于一级反应,且C/N=0时反硝化速率常数(0.0087、0.0045和0.0188/h)均小于C/N=2.5(0.0151、0.0071和0.0798/h;以上阳极为例);MFC-CW系统的反硝化动力学更符合Monod-CSTR模型,且在停留时间较长时取得更好的拟合效果,随着停留时间的增加,C/N=0时系统的反硝速率增加,C/N=2.5时系统的反硝化速率在一定范围内波动[0.6662—0.7744 g/(m^(2)·d)]。实验结果可为黄铁矿基MFC-CW的实际工程应用提供理论指导。

SA-PQ-11/CF阳极提高MFC废水处理效果与发电性能

为提高微生物燃料电池(MFC)的废水处理效果和发电性能,制备了一种海藻酸钠(SA)-聚季铵盐-11(PQ-11)/碳毡(CF)阳极(SA-PQ-11/CF),分别以制药废水和糖蜜废水为阳极液,以CF为阴极,构建了MFC系统,采用SEM对阳极表面形貌进行了表征,通过循环伏安(CV)特性和电化学阻抗(EIS)特性、化学需氧量(COD)去除率对其性能进行了考察。结果表明,SA-PQ-11/CF阳极具有较大的比表面积,MFC的溶液电阻和电荷转移电阻得到明显降低。阳极液为制药废水时,采用SA-PQ-11/CF阳极的MFC的稳态输出电压和COD去除率分别约为0.22 V和62%,较常规CF阳极的MFC分别提高了100%和130%;阳极液为糖蜜废水时,采用SA-PQ-11/CF阳极的MFC的稳态输出电压和COD去除率分别为0.15 V和43%,分别较采用常规CF阳极的MFC提高了275%和95%。

Recovery of copper from copper slag using a microbial fuel cell and characterization of its electrogenesis

The microbial fuel cell, which can convert the chemical energy of organic matter into electricity via the catalytic action of microorganisms, is a novel environmentally friendly technology for wastewater treatment and energy generation. The electrical energy generated by the microbial fuel cell can be used as an alternative to a traditional external power source required to extract copper via electrolytic treatment. A dual-chamber microbial fuel cell(DMFC) for the treatment of copper slag sulfuric acid leach liquor was constructed. The electrogenesis performance of the DMFC and its ability to extract copper from the copper slag leachate were investigated. The results demonstrated that the maximum voltage was 540 mV when the DMFC achieved steady-state operation. The removal rate of copper ions was greater than 80.0%, and the maximum value was 92.1%. Moreover, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the cathodal products. The results showed that the product deposited onto the cathode was copper and that its morphology was similar to that of the electrolytic copper powder. The DMFC can generate electricity and recover copper from copper slag simultaneously.

Melamine modified carbon felts anode with enhanced electrogenesis capacity toward microbial fuel cells

Surface electropositivity and low internal resistance are important factors to improve the anode performance in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Nitrogen doping is an effective way for the modification of traditional carbon materials. In this work, heat treatment and melamine were used to modify carbon felts to enhance electrogenesis capacity of MFCs. The modified carbon felts were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and malvern zeta potentiometer. Results show that the maximum power densities under heat treatment increase from 276.1 to 423.4 mW/m(2) (700 degrees C) and 461.5 mW/m(2) (1200 degrees C) and further increase to 472.5 mW/m(2) (700 degrees C) and 515.4 mW/m(2) (1200 degrees C) with the co-carbonization modification of melamine. The heat treatment reduces the material resistivity, improves the zeta potential which is beneficial to microbial adsorption and electron transfer. The addition of melamine leads to the higher content of surface pyridinic and quaternary nitrogen and higher zeta potential. It is related to higher MFCs performance. Generally, the melamine modification at high temperature increases the feasibility of carbon felt as MFCs's anode materials. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Utilization of Nanomaterials as Anode Modifiers for Improving Microbial Fuel Cells Performance

Microbial fuel cells(MFCs)are an attractive innovation at the nexus of energy and water security for the future.MFC utilizes electrochemically active microorganisms to oxidize biodegradable substrates and generate bioelectricity in a single step.The material of the anode plays a vital role in increasing the MFC’s power output.The anode in MFC can be upgraded using nanomaterials providing benefits of exceptional physicochemical properties.The nanomaterials in anode gives a high surface area,improved electron transfer promotes electroactive biofilm.Enhanced power output in terms of Direct current(DC)can be obtained as the consequence of improved microbe-electrode interaction.However,several limitations like complex synthesis and degeneration of property do exist in the development of nanomaterial-based anode.The present review discusses different renewable nanomaterial applied in the anode to recover bioelectricity in MFC.Carbon nanomaterials have emerged in the past decade as promising materials for anode construction.Composite materials have also demonstrated the capacity to become potential anode materials of choice.Application of a few transition metal oxides have been explored for efficient extracellular electron transport(EET)from microbes to the anode.

A Comprehensive Review on Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Microbial Fuel Cells

The focus of microbial fuel cell research in recent years has been on the development of materials,microbes,and transfer of charges in the system,resulting in a substantial improvement in current density and improved power generation.The cathode is generally recognized as the limiting factor due to its high-distance proton transfer,slow oxygen reduction reaction(ORR),and expensive materials.The heterogeneous reaction determines power gen-eration in MFC.This comprehensive review describes-recent advancements in the development of cathode mate-rials and catalysts associated with ORR.The recent studies indicated the utilization of different metal oxides,the ferrite-based catalyst to overcome this bottleneck.These studies conclude that some cathode materials,in parti-cular,graphene-based conductive polymer composites with non-precious metal catalysts provide substantial ben-efits for sustainable development in the field of MFCs.Furthermore,it also highlights the potentiality to replace the conventional platinum air cathode for the large-scale production of the next generation of MFCs.It was evi-dent from the experiments that cathode catalyst needs to be blended with conductive carbon materials to make cathode conductive and efficient for ORR.This review discusses various antifouling strategies for cathode biofoul-ing and its effect on the MFC performance.Moreover,it also depicts cost estimations of various catalysts essential for further scale-up of MFC technology.

Nitrogen and Sulfur Co-doped Porous Carbon Derived from ZIF-8 as Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyst for Microbial Fuel Cells

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porous nanocarbon (ZIF-C-N-S) catalyst was successfully synthesized derived from ZIF-8 and thiourea precursors.The electrochemical measurements indicate that the as-obtained ZIF-C-N-S catalyst exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolyte and superior durability-longer than commercial Pt/C catalyst.The enhancment of electrocatalytic activity mainly be come from the open pore structure,large specific surface area as well as the synergistic effect resulted from the co-doping of N and S atoms.In addition,the ZIF-C-N-S catalyst is also used as the air cathode catalyst in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) device.The maximum power density and stable output voltage of ZIF-C-N-S based MFC are 1315 mW/m2 and 0.48 V,respectively,which is better than that of Pt/C based MFC.

Sustainable biochar as an electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells(MFCs)have gained remarkable attention as a novel wastewater treatment that simultaneously generates electricity.The low activity of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)remains one of the most critical bottlenecks limiting the development of MFCs.To date,although research on biochar as an electrocatalyst in MFCs has made tremendous progress,further improvements are needed to make it economically practical.Recently,biochars have been considered to be ORR electrocatalysts with developmental potential.In this review,the ORR mechanism and the essential requirements of ORR catalysts in MFC applications are introduced.Moreover,the focus is to highlight the material selection,properties,and preparation of biochar electrocatalysts,as well as the evaluation and measurement of biochar electrodes.Additionally,in order to provide comprehensive information on the specific applications of biochars in the field of MFCs,their applications as electrocatalysts,are then discussed in detail,including the uses of nitrogen-doped biochar and other heteroatom-doped biochars as electrocatalysts,poisoning tests for biochar catalysts,and the cost estimation of biochar catalysts.Finally,profound insights into the current challenges and clear directions for future perspectives and research are concluded.

硫掺杂石墨烯作为MFC阴极性能和生物毒性检测

采用水热法制备了硫掺杂还原氧化石墨烯(S-rGO),表征发现S原子的掺杂会导致结构缺陷的形成,这些结构缺陷会增加活性位点。通过电化学测试,S-rGO的氧还原反应(ORR)性能优于rGO,其极限电流密度为4.08mA/cm^(2),高出rGO(3.48mA/cm^(2))17.3%,这表明S原子的掺杂能够有效提高rGO的ORR活性。将S-rGO与活性炭(AC)、炭黑(CB)以0.1∶0.25∶1的质量比混合作为微生物燃料电池阴极催化剂。结果表明,S-rGO催化的微生物燃料电池反应器每个周期可持续27h,输出电压为0.33V,而rGO催化的反应器每个周期可持续24h,输出电压为0.30V;CB催化的反应器每个周期可持续23h,输出电压为0.26V。以苯扎氯铵(BAC)为生物毒性物质,探讨了S-rGO修饰的微生物燃料电池作为毒性传感器的相关性能,根据电压与BAC浓度的线性拟合结果,发现S-rGO具有更高的毒性检测灵敏度和稳定性(相关系数为0.996),而传统的Pt/C阴极催化剂的相关系数为0.932,表明S-rGO在毒性检测领域具有巨大的应用潜力。

A system combining microbial fuel cell with photobioreactor for continuous domestic wastewater treatment and bioelectricity generation

A coupled system consisting of an upflow membrane-less microbial fuel cell (upflow ML-MFC) and a photobioreactor was developed, and its effectiveness for continuous wastewater treatment and electricity production was evaluated. Wastewater was fed to the upflow ML-MFC to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD), phosphorus and nitrogen with simultaneous electricity generation. The effluent from the cathode compartment of the upflow ML-MFC was then continuously fed to an external photobioreactor for removing the remaining phosphorus and nitrogen using microalgae. Alone, the upflow ML-MFC produces a maximum power density of 481 mW/m 3 , and obtains 77.9% COD, 23.5% total phosphorus (TP) and 97.6% NH4+-N removals. When combined with the photobioreactor, the system achieves 99.3% TP and 99.0% NH4+-N total removal. These results show both the effectiveness and the potential application of the coupled system to continuously treat domestic wastewater and simultaneously generate electricity and biomass.

Electricity Generation Using Membrane-less Microbial Fuel Cell during Wastewater Treatment

upflow 模式膜更少微生物引起的燃料房间(ML-MFC ) 为废水处理被设计。小粒的石墨电极，在尺寸灵活，在 ML-MFC 被采用。当 biocatalyst 和人工的废水作为底层被测试，在厌氧的激活的污泥在场的微生物被使用。在电气化学地活跃的微生物丰富阶段期间， 536 mW 路 m 的稳定的力量产量 ? 3 被在批模式跑的 ML-MFC 与阳极体积的参考产生。在 ML-MFC 从批模式被改变到通常连续的模式以后，电压产量从 203 mV 减少了到大约 190 mV，显示那 planktonic 在 ML-MFC 的电气化学地活跃的细菌的紧张可以与自河一起被移走。周期的 voltammograms 证明依附的微生物比 planktonic 微生物拥有了更高的 bioelectrochemical 活动。到阴极的强迫的通风显然有益于电产生。更高的喂率和更长的电极距离两个都增加了电产生。coulombic 收益在整个学习是不超过 20% ，它是比有膜的 MFC 的低的。从阴极传播到阳极的溶解的氧可以消费底层的部分，这被建议。

Characterization of Fe/N-doped graphene as air-cathode catalyst in microbial fuel cells

This work proposed a simple and efficient approach for synthesis of durable and efficient non-precious metal oxygen reduction reaction（ORR） electro-catalysts in MFCs. The rod-like carbon nanotubes（CNTs）were formed on the Fe–N/SLG sheets after a carbonization process. The maximum power density of1210 ± 23 m W·mobtained with Fe–N/SLG catalyst in an MFC was 10.7% higher than that of Pt/C catalyst(1080 ± 20 mW ·m) under the same condition. The results of RDE test show that the ORR electron transfer number of Fe–N/SLG was 3.91 ± 0.02, which suggested that ORR catalysis proceeds through a four-electron pathway. The whole time of the synthesis of electro-catalysts is about 10 h, making the research take a solid step in the MFC expansion due to its low-cost, high efficiency and favorable electrochemical performance. Besides, we compared the electrochemical properties of catalysts using SLG, high conductivity graphene（HCG, a kind of multilayer graphene） and high activity graphene（HAG, a kind of GO） under the same conditions, providing a solution for optimal selection of cathode catalyst in MFCs.The morphology, crystalline structure, elemental composition and ORR activity of these three kinds of Fe–N/C catalysts were characterized. Their ORR activities were compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst.It demonstrates that this kind of Fe–N/SLG can be a type of promising highly efficient catalyst and could enhance ORR performance of MFCs.

产电微生物对SMFC产电及降解性能的影响

目的在以含油污泥为阳极底泥的沉积型微生物燃料电池(SMFC)体系中,通过改变产电微生物种类和分布方式,探究产电微生物对SMFC产电及降解性能的影响。方法通过采集输出电压、功率密度、表观内阻来检测石油去除率,比较了不同单菌-SMFC、不同混合菌-SMFC的产电性能和降解性能,考查了菌种分布对SMFC性能的影响。结果在单菌-SMFC中,弗氏柠檬酸杆菌-SMFC的产电及降解性能均优于其他5种单菌构筑的SMFC;混合菌-SMFC的产电及降解性能较单菌-SMFC有较大提升,且其中蜡样芽孢杆菌+中间苍白杆菌-SMFC的产电及降解性能最优,输出电压可达到515.30 mV;菌种分布在阳极材料中和阳极底泥中都可以降解含油污泥中的有机物,但是菌种分布在阳极材料中更有利于SMFC产电性能及降解性能的发挥。结论混合菌相对于单菌能够显著提升SMFC的产电及降解性能,而且菌种分布在阳极材料中更有益于SMFC产电性能及降解性能的发挥。

Simultaneous Denitrification and Carbon Removal in Microbial Fuel Cells

In this article,microbial fuel cell( MFC) was used for simultaneous denitrification and carbon removal to ascertain their electricity generation performance. The results showed that strengthening domestication and enrichment of electrogenic bacteria had the best start-up effect. An increase in volumetric loading reduced the rate of pollutant removal but promoted the output voltage. The changes of working conditions such as influent concentration,sludge concentration and temperature had a great influence on the electricity generation performance of MFC,and their optimum values were 500 mg/L,2 000 mg/L and 35℃,respectively.