A Carbon-Cloth Anode Electroplated with Iron Nanostructure for Microbial Fuel Cell Operated with Real Wastewater

Enas Taha Sayed, Hussain Alawadhi, Khaled Elsaid, A. G. Olabi, Maryam Adel Almakrani, Shaikha Tamim Bin Tamim, Ghada H. M. Alafranji and Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem
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Enas Taha Sayed: Center for Advanced Materials Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Hussain Alawadhi: Center for Advanced Materials Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Khaled Elsaid: Chemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, USA
A. G. Olabi: Center for Advanced Materials Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Maryam Adel Almakrani: Department of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Shaikha Tamim Bin Tamim: Department of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Ghada H. M. Alafranji: Department of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem: Center for Advanced Materials Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-11

Abstract: Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an emerging method for extracting energy from wastewater. The power generated from such systems is low due to the sluggish electron transfer from the inside of the biocatalyst to the anode surface. One strategy for enhancing the electron transfer rate is anode modification. In this study, iron nanostructure was synthesized on a carbon cloth (CC) via a simple electroplating technique, and later investigated as a bio-anode in an MFC operated with real wastewater. The performance of an MFC with a nano-layer of iron was compared to that using bare CC. The results demonstrated that the open-circuit voltage increased from 600 mV in the case of bare CC to 800 mV in the case of the iron modified CC, showing a 33% increase in OCV. This increase in OCV can be credited to the decrease in the anode potential from 0.16 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the case of bare CC, to −0.01 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the case of the modified CC. The power output in the case of the modified electrode was 80 mW/m 2 —two times that of the MFC using the bare CC. Furthermore, the steady-state current in the case of the iron modified carbon cloth was two times that of the bare CC electrode. The improved performance was correlated to the enhanced electron transfer between the microorganisms and the iron-plated surface, along with the increase of the anode surface- as confirmed from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the surface morphology, respectively.

Keywords: microbial fuel cell; electroplating; electron transfer; iron nanostructure; nanosheet structure; wastewater treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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