Carbonization and activation of inexpensive semicoke-packed electrodes to enhance power generation of microbial fuel cells

Activated microporous-mesoporous carbon derived from chestnut shell as a sustainable anode material for high performance microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising biotechnologies tool to harvest electricity by decomposing organic matter in waste water, and the anode material is a critical factor in determining the performance of MFCs. In this study, chestnut shell is proposed as a novel anode material with mesoporous and microporous structure prepared via a simple carbonization procedure followed by an activation process. The chemical activation process successfully modified the macroporous structure, created more mesoporous and microporous structure and decreased the O-content and pyridinic/pyrrolic N groups on the biomass anode, which were beneficial for improving charge transfer efficiency between the anode surface and microbial biofilm. The MFC with activated biomass anode achieved a maximum power density (23.6 W m^-3) 2.3 times higher than carbon cloth anode (10.4 W m^-3). This study introduces a promising and feasible strategy for the fabrication of high performance anodes for MFCs derived from cost-effective, sustainable natural materials.

Electrospun carbon nanofibers from polyacrylonitrile blended with activated or graphitized carbonaceous materials for improving anodic bioelectrocatalysis

The electrospun carbon nanofibers obtained from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN blends with either activated carbon (PAN-AC) or graphite (PAN-GR) were tested as anodes using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Extensive physico-chemical and electrochemical characterization confirmed their formation, their fibrous and porous nature, and their suitability as electrodes. N2 adsorption measurements revealed high specific surface area (229.8, 415.8 and 485.2m(2) g(-1)) and porosity (0.142, 0.202 and 0.239cm(3)g(-1)) for PAN, PAN-AC and PAN-GR, respectively. The chronoamperometric measurements showed a considerable decrease in start-up time and more than a 10-fold increase in the generation of current with these electrodes (115, 139 and 155μAcm(-2) for PAN, PAN-AC and PAN-GR, respectively) compared to the graphite electrode (11.5μAcm(-2)). These results indicate that the bioelectrocatalysis benefits from the blending of PAN with activated or graphitized carbonaceous materials, presumably due to the increased specific surface area, total pore volume and modification of the carbon microstructure.