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Bioanode of polyurethane/graphite/polypyrrole composite in microbial fuel cells

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Abstract

Polyurethane (PU) foams were coated with graphite, and pyrrole monomer was subsequently polymerized onto its surface by chemical oxidization to obtain nanostructured polyurethane/graphite/polypyrrole (PU/Graph/PPy) composites, which were used for anaerobic microorganisms grown and tested as anodes in microbial fuel cells (MFC) using municipal wastewater as fuel. The effects of oxidizing agent type (ammonium persulfate and FeCl3) used in pyrrole polymerization on the performance of electrodes in MFC were studied. Composites were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and by the four-point probes to determine conductivity. It was observed from SEM analysis that globular nanostructures of PPy were formed onto PU surface with average diameters between 120 and 450 nm, which are typical of aqueous polymerization of pyrrole monomer. The highest output power density observed in MFCs was 305.5 mW/m3 for the composite synthesized using FeCl3 as the oxidant, and 128.6 mW/m3 using the composite obtained with ammonium persulfate as oxidizing; the corresponding chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were 48.2 and 45.5%, respectively. The calculated coulombic efficiency for PU/Graph/PPy composite obtained with FeCl3 as oxidant was of 9.4%. Internal resistance of MFC using the composite obtained with FeCl3 as oxidant was determined by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and the variable resistance (VR) methods, giving 4.8 and 2.9 kO, respectively, with average maximum power density of 237.5 mW/m3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botánica, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Calzada Antonio Narro 1923, Buenavista, Saltillo, Coahuila, 25315, México

    Pedro Pérez-Rodríguez & Silvia Y. Martínez-Amador

  2. Ingeniería Química, COARA–Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Carretera a Cedral KM 5+600, San José de las Trojes, Matehuala, SLP, México, 78700

    Víctor M. Ovando-Medina

  3. Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, José Cárdenas Valdez y Venustiano Carranza S/N, Col. República Oriente, Saltillo, Coahuila, 25280, México

    José A. Rodríguez-de la Garza

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  1. Pedro Pérez-Rodríguez
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  2. Víctor M. Ovando-Medina
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  3. Silvia Y. Martínez-Amador
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  4. José A. Rodríguez-de la Garza
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Correspondence to Víctor M. Ovando-Medina.

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Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Ovando-Medina, V.M., Martínez-Amador, S.Y. et al. Bioanode of polyurethane/graphite/polypyrrole composite in microbial fuel cells. Biotechnol Bioproc E 21, 305–313 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-015-0628-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-015-0628-5

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