Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes–Coated Graphite-Felt Anode for Efficient Removal of Ciprofloxacin from Domestic Wastewater in Dual-Chambered Microbial Fuel Cells

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are potential bioelectrochemical devices that are now being researched for various emerging applications, such as treating wastewater with antibiotics removal. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a synthetic antibiotic that is commonly used to treat infections such as pneumonia and influenza. This work investigated the performance of dual-chambered MFCs with two different types of anodes to remove CIP and chemical oxygen demand (COD) and power production. The findings of the experiments revealed that the multiwall carbon nanotubes-coated graphite felt (MWCNT-GF) had a higher power density (1,512.9 mW/m2) and COD removal (95.4%) than the control graphite-felt anode (816.3 mW/m2, COD removal 93.2%) under the same circumstances. Further, MFCs were also tested for four different concentrations with average CIP removal rate with MWCNT-coated GF anode to 58.575% and GF anode of 54.25%. Higher CIP removal rate and power performance of MWCNT-GF anodes are due to its macroporous structure, which promotes microbial interaction on the electrode surface. Also, it shows an additional effect of increasing extracellular electron transport. The findings suggest that a dual-chambered MFC operating with a MWCNT-GF anode is a highly effective means of achieving high power performance and CIP removal, with a broad range of application possibilities in bioelectrochemical systems.