Influence of diligent disintegration on anaerobic biomass and performance of microbial fuel cell.

Divyalakshmi, Palanisamy; Murugan, Devaraj; Rai, Chockalingam

Objectives: To enhance the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFC) by increasing the surface area of cathode and diligent mechanical disintegration of anaerobic biomass. Results: Tannery effluent and anaerobic biomass were used. The increase in surface area of the cathode resulted in 78% COD removal, with the potential, current density, power density and coulombic efficiency of 675 mV, 147 mA m, 33 mW m and 3.5%, respectively. The work coupled with increased surface area of the cathode with diligent mechanical disintegration of the biomass, led to a further increase in COD removal of 82% with the potential, current density, power density and coulombic efficiency of 748 mV, 229 mA m, 78 mW m and 6% respectively. Conclusions: Mechanical disintegration of the biomass along with increased surface area of cathode enhances power generation in vertical MFC reactors using tannery effluent as fuel.

DISINTEGRATION of microorganisms; ANAEROBIC reactors; PERFORMANCE of microbial fuel cells; BIOMASS conversion; CURRENT density (Electromagnetism)

Biotechnology Letters, 2017, Vol 39, Issue 12, p1883

0141-5492

Academic Journal

10.1007/s10529-017-2420-4