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Electrochemical evaluation of the effect of anode to cathode surface area ratio on power generation in air-cathode microbial fuel cells

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Abstract

In microbial fuel cells, the surface areas of electrodes play a key role in power generation. Conventionally, the surface area ratio of 1 is considered, but it is neither electrochemically optimized nor economically justified. This study seeks the optimized ratio of Aan/Aca. in a double-chamber air-cathode pure-culture microbial fuel cell. Four different anode electrode surface areas were considered in four pure-culture air-cathode MFCs with the Aan/Aca. ratios of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicates that as the Aan/Aca. ratio increases, total internal resistance decreases from 117.54 Ω to 42.03 Ω in which the share of substrate oxidation resistance ranges from 98% at the ratio of 0.4 to 86% at the ratio of 1. Tafel plot also indicates that exchange current increases from 3.76 mA to 19.27 mA as the anode surface increases suggesting higher reaction rates at higher ratios. The polarization test demonstrates that power output does not follow total resistance pattern and that maximum power density (based on the cathode surface) of 41.67 ± 2.08 mW.m−2 occurs at the Aan/Aca. ratio of 0.6. Also, the highest operating current of 1.17 mA is recorded at the Aan/Aca. ratio of 0.6 after 90 days of operation. These observations suggest that there is an optimum Aan/Aca. ratio of 0.6 in which the charge transfer rate is maximum and substrate oxidation rate is minimum. The results also suggest that there is a correlation between power output and Aan/Aca. ratio that predicts the optimum ratio of 0.68 where power output is maximum.

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The data used in this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgments

The sponsor had no involvement in any of the following: study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing the manuscript; or the submission decision. The authors are thankful to the Corrosion Research Laboratory for conducting part of the analyses.

Funding

This work was supported by Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Graduate Students Research Fund, Grant No. 3/20573.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Pardis Campus, 91779-48944, Mashhad, Iran

    Hamideh Ghayour Moradi, Mahmood Akhavan Mahdavi, Reza Gheshlaghi & Mozhdeh Dehghanian

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  1. Hamideh Ghayour Moradi
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  2. Mahmood Akhavan Mahdavi
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HGM conducted the experiments; MAM designed and supervised the study and wrote the manuscript; RG conducted the statistical analysis of the data; MD assisted in manuscript writing and structure. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mahmood Akhavan Mahdavi.

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Moradi, H.G., Mahdavi, M.A., Gheshlaghi, R. et al. Electrochemical evaluation of the effect of anode to cathode surface area ratio on power generation in air-cathode microbial fuel cells. J Appl Electrochem 53, 2433–2442 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-023-01929-5

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