Porous Carbon Derived from Pumpkin Tissue as an Efficient Bioanode Toward Wastewater Treatment in Microbial Fuel Cells

Jiaxin Liu, Xue Yan, Qiang Ding, Jiwu Xiang, Zuna Wei, Qian Yang, Kangwei Xie, Bo Cheng () and Xiaoying Xie ()
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Jiaxin Liu: School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Xue Yan: Yichang Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Yichang 443005, China
Qiang Ding: Yichang Sanxia Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Yichang 443004, China
Jiwu Xiang: Yichang Sanxia Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Yichang 443004, China
Zuna Wei: School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Qian Yang: School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Kangwei Xie: School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Bo Cheng: School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Xiaoying Xie: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: A novel three-dimensional porous biocarbon electrode with exceptional biocompatibility was synthesized via a facile approach using pumpkin as the precursor. The obtained pumpkin-derived biocarbon features a highly porous architecture and serves as an efficient biocarbon electrode (denoted as PBE) in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). This PBE could form robust biofilms to facilitate the adhesion of electroactive bacteria. When used in the treatment of real wastewater, the assembled PBE-MFC achieves a remarkable power density of 231 mW/m 2 , much higher than the control (carbon brush—MFC, 164 mW/m 2 ) under the identical conditions. This result may be attributed to the upregulation of flagellar assembly pathways and bacterial secretion systems in the electroactive bacteria (e.g., Hydrogenophaga , Desulfovibrio , Thiobacillus , Rhodanobacter ) at the anode of the PBE-MFC. The increased abundance of nitrifying bacteria (e.g., Hyphomicrobium , Sulfurimonas , Aequorivita ) and organic matter-degrading bacteria (e.g., Lysobacter ) in the PBE-MFC also contributed to its exceptional wastewater treatment efficiency. With its outstanding biocompatibility, cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and ease of fabrication, the PBE-MFC displays great potential for application in the field of high-performance and economic wastewater treatment.

Keywords: microbial fuel cells; pumpkin; porous biocarbon electrode; wastewater treatment; microbial community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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