Systematic screening of carbon-based anode materials for microbial fuel cells with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 146; pp. 386 - 392
• Main Authors: Kipf, Elena, Koch, Julia, Geiger, Bettina, Erben, Johannes, Richter, Katrin, Gescher, Johannes, Zengerle, Roland, Kerzenmacher, Sven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activated carbon cloth; Aerated; Aeration; Anode materials; Anodes; Biochemical fuel cells; Bioelectric Energy Sources; Biofuel production; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Carbon - chemistry; Current density; Electrodes; Electron transfer; Energy; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Graphite - chemistry; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Lakes; Materials Testing; Microbial fuel cells; Microorganisms; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Oxygen - chemistry; Screening; Shewanella - metabolism; Shewanella oneidensis; Specific surface; Surface Properties; Time Factors; Waste Water; Water Purification - methods; Microbial fuel cells; Aeration; Activated carbon cloth; Shewanella oneidensis; Anode materials; Anode; Shewanella; Carbon; Screening; Microbial electrode; Biochemical fuel cell; Activated carbon; Bacteria; Vibrionaceae
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.07.076

•First systematic screening of carbon-based anode materials with S. oneidensis MR-1.•The material’s specific surface area significantly influences the anode performance.•High surface area activated carbon materials identified as superior anode material.•Aerated initial growth phase enhances the current density in anoxic operation. We present a systematic screening of carbon-based anode materials for microbial fuel cells with Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Under anoxic conditions nanoporous activated carbon cloth is a superior anode material in terms of current density normalized to the projected anode area and anode volume (24.0±0.3μAcm−2 and 482±7μAcm−3 at −0.2 vs. SCE, respectively). The good performance can be attributed to the high specific surface area of the material, which is available for mediated electron transfer through self-secreted flavins. Under aerated conditions no influence of the specific surface area is observed, which we attribute to a shift from primary indirect electron transfer by mediators to direct electron transfer via adherent cells. Furthermore, we show that an aerated initial growth phase enhances the current density under subsequent anoxic conditions fivefold when compared to a similar experiment that was conducted under permanently anoxic conditions.