Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology

Evaluation of performance of periodically fed zero discharge single chamber air cathode microbial fuel cell

International Conference and Expo on Water Microbiology & Novel Technologies

July 18-19, 2016 Chicago, USA

Sam F Y Li, Linke Lai and Lijuan Zhang

National University of Singapore, Singapore
NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences & Engineering, Singapore

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Microb Biochem Technol

Abstract:

In this study, air-cathode microbial fuel cells were periodically refueled with different substrates (glucose, ethanol, sodium acetate and acetic acid) without replacing the electrolyte or discharging any solution. MFC performances and various electrolyte properties were monitored over 130 hours. Power loss of 68% and 48% were observed for glucose and ethanol-fed MFCs. The loss of power was mainly attributed to substantially increased internal resistances at relatively low electrolyte pH (~6), which was caused by production of fatty acids through fermentation and oxidation processes. On the other hand, rapid cathodic biofilm growth for glucose and ethanol-fed MFCs was found to cause higher electrolyte pH at the cathodic catalyst layer, leading to lower open circuit voltage (OCV) and power output. The stable performance of MFC fed with sodium acetate indicates that anodic electro-active species are more tolerant to alkaline pH and ionic strength changes. Our results revealed the preference of electro-active bacteria to non-fermentable substrate over fatty-acids producing substrates. The results demonstrated the importance of pH control and biomass removal from the cathode in waste water treatment by MFCs.

Biography :

Email: chmlifys@nus.edu.sg