Comparative Assessment of Microbial-Fuel-Cell Operating Parameters

Abstract

In this paper, simultaneous wastewater treatment and power generation of fed-batch microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been analyzed by introducing a stepwise variation in temperature, pH, and cathodic electrolyte. Different ranges of operational parameters were applied to enriched biofilm (30 days) for 2 weeks to evaluate system performance through polarization studies and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate. Increasing the electrolyte temperature from 37°C to 45°C resulted in higher voltage output (394.5±6.1 mV) and increased COD removal efficiency (84.5%). The cell potential of MFCs was also enhanced up to 398.9 mV by optimizing anodic pH to 7. Further increase in the current production (0.04±≤0.01 mA) was observed with cathodic electrolyte 100 mM phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)+100 mM NaCl of higher reductive strength, primarily as a result of the overcoming system proton transfer limitation. This study provides a detailed parametric analysis of operating parameters and assists in process optimization.