Adding Zero-Valent Iron to Enhance Electricity Generation during MFC Start-Up

Chao Li, Kang Zhou, Hanyue He, Jiashun Cao and Shihua Zhou
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Chao Li: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Kang Zhou: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Hanyue He: Jiangsu Yuzhi River Basin Management Technology Research Institute, Nanjing 210000, China
Jiashun Cao: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Shihua Zhou: Third Design and Research Institute, Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design and Research General Institute, Shanghai 200092, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: The low power generation efficiency of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is always a barrier to further development. An attempt to enhance the start-up and electricity generation of MFCs was investigated by adding different doses of zero-valent iron into anaerobic anode chambers in this study. The results showed that the voltage (289.6 mV) of A2 with 0.5 g of zero-valent iron added was higher than the reference reactor (197.1 mV) without dosing zero-valent iron (A4). The maximum power density of 27.3 mW/m 2 was obtained in A2. CV analysis demonstrated that A2 possessed a higher oxidation–reduction potential, hence showing a stronger oxidizing property. Meanwhile, electrochemical impedance analysis (EIS) also manifested that values of RCT of carbon felts with zero-valent iron supplemented (0.01–0.03 Ω) were generally lower. What is more, SEM images further proved and illustrated that A2 had compact and dense meshes with a hierarchical structure rather than a relatively looser biofilm in the other reactors. High-throughput sequencing analysis also indicated that zero-valent iron increased the abundance of some functional microbial communities, such as Acinetobacter, Ignavibacteriales, Shewanella , etc.

Keywords: microbial fuel cells (MFCs); electricity generation; zero-valent iron; oxidation–reduction potential; microbial communities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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