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Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Microbial Fuel Cell Using Municipal Wastewater

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Abstract

A low-cost microbial fuel cell (MFC) with a brush-shaped anode was constructed with low-cost materials and operated in a fed-batch mode using wastewater as a substrate. The operational performance of the MFC was evaluated considering the organic matter removal, coulombic efficiencies, and current and power densities. Its relative performance to cost was evaluated considering a MFC with platinum/carbon cathode. It was observed that the organic matter removal efficiency was up to 80 % and the coulombic efficiencies varied from 3.5 to 5.7 %. Maximum average voltages and power and current densities of 207 ± 30 mV, 9.2 ± 2.4 mW m−2, and 56.8 ± 14.9 mA m−2 were obtained, respectively. It was observed that the low-cost MFC produced higher power and current densities per dollar when compared to a MFC using platinum-catalyzed electrode.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank DGAPA-UNAM (project PAPIIT IN104710) for the financial support. Jaime Perez and Gloria Moreno are acknowledged for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Research on Advanced Processes for Water Treatment, Instituto de Ingeniería, Unidad Académica Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico

    Germán Buitrón & Carlos Cervantes-Astorga

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  1. Germán Buitrón
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  2. Carlos Cervantes-Astorga
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Correspondence to Germán Buitrón.

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Buitrón, G., Cervantes-Astorga, C. Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Microbial Fuel Cell Using Municipal Wastewater. Water Air Soil Pollut 224, 1470 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1470-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1470-z

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