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Sensing Copper and Ferricyanide Ions in Wastewater Using a Membrane-Less, Easy-to-Use Soil Microbial Fuel Cell-Based Sensor

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Abstract

The application of microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based sensors has attracted considerable interest in the last decade because of their advantages in terms of low cost, self-sustainability without power sources, and environmentally friendly nature. Detecting and monitoring toxicities, especially heavy metals, in wastewater is critical to ensuring a safe environment for human health. This study introduces a low-cost, membrane-less, compact, and easy-to-use soil MFC (SMFC)-based sensor to detect copper (Cu2+) and ferricyanide ([Fe(CN)6]3−) ions. A series of five concentrations of toxic ions from 100 mg/L to 500 mg/L were used to evaluate the sensing capability of the proposed SMFC. An immediate increase in voltage was observed when SMFC was exposed to the toxic agents, with the maximum peak reached in about 30–60 min (depending on the concentrations). The highest IR% (inhibition ratio) was 100.8% for 500 mg/L of Cu2+. The IR% of ferricyanide was lower, reaching a maximum of 49.2%. A linear relationship between IR% and toxic agent concentration was observed for both Cu2+ and ferricyanide detection in both rounds of exposure. The employment of the designed SMFC enabled the detection of Cu2+ and ferricyanide in a simple method.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan

    Hoang-Uyen-Dung Nguyen, Dang-Trang Nguyen & Kozo Taguchi

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Nguyen, HUD., Nguyen, DT. & Taguchi, K. Sensing Copper and Ferricyanide Ions in Wastewater Using a Membrane-Less, Easy-to-Use Soil Microbial Fuel Cell-Based Sensor. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 6815–6824 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-023-10601-9

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