1
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Khodaparastasgarabad N, Sonawane JM, Baghernavehsi H, Gong L, Liu L, Greener J. Microfluidic membraneless microbial fuel cells: new protocols for record power densities. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:4201-4212. [PMID: 37702583 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00387f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
The main hurdle in leveraging microfluidic advantages in membraneless MFCs is their low electrode area-normalized power. For nearly a decade, maximum power densities have remained stagnant, while at the same time macrosystems continue to gather pace. To bridge this growing gap, we showcase a strategy that focuses on (i) technology improvements, (ii) establishment of record areal power densities, and (iii) presentation of different normalization methods that complement areal power densities and enable direct comparisons across all MFC scales. Using a pure-culture Geobacter sulfurreducens electroactive biofilm (EAB) in a new membraneless MFC that adheres to the strategy above, we observed optimal anode colonization, resulting in the highest recorded electrode areal power density for a microfluidic MFC of 3.88 W m-2 (24.37 kW m-3). We also consider new power normalization methods that may be more appropriate for comparison to other works. Normalized by the wetted cross-section area between electrodes accounts for constraints in electrode/electrolyte contact, resulting in power densities as high as 8.08 W m-2. Alternatively, we present a method to normalize by the flow rate to account for acetate supply, obtaining normalized energy recovery values of 0.025 kW h m-3. With these results, the performance gap between micro- and macroscale MFCs is closed, and a road map to move forward is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jayesh M Sonawane
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
| | - Haleh Baghernavehsi
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
| | - Lingling Gong
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
| | - Linlin Liu
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
| | - Jesse Greener
- Département de Chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
- CHU de Québec, Centre de recherche, Université Laval, 10 rue de l'Espinay, Québec, QC, Canada
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2
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Sharma R, Kumari R, Pant D, Malaviya P. Bioelectricity generation from human urine and simultaneous nutrient recovery: Role of Microbial Fuel Cells. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 292:133437. [PMID: 34973250 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urine is a 'valuable waste' that can be exploited to generate bioelectricity and recover key nutrients for producing NPK-rich biofertilizers. In recent times, improved and innovative waste management technologies have emerged to manage the rapidly increasing environmental pollution and to accomplish the goal of sustainable development. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have attracted the attention of environmentalists worldwide to treat human urine and produce power through bioelectrochemical reactions in presence of electroactive bacteria growing on the anode. The bacteria break down the complex organic matter present in urine into simpler compounds and release the electrons which flow through an external circuit generating current at the cathode. Many other useful products are harvested at the end of the process. So, in this review, an attempt has been made to synthesize the information on MFCs fuelled with urine to generate bioelectricity and recover value-added resources (nutrients), and their modifications to enhance productivity. Moreover, configuration and mode of system operation, and factors enhancing the performance of MFCs have been also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozi Sharma
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Rekha Kumari
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Deepak Pant
- Separation & Conversion Technology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, Mol, 2400, Belgium
| | - Piyush Malaviya
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
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3
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Amirdehi MA, Gong L, Khodaparastasgarabad N, Sonawane JM, Logan BE, Greener J. Hydrodynamic interventions and measurement protocols to quantify and mitigate power overshoot in microbial fuel cells using microfluidics. Electrochim Acta 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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4
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Shen Y, Levin A, Kamada A, Toprakcioglu Z, Rodriguez-Garcia M, Xu Y, Knowles TPJ. From Protein Building Blocks to Functional Materials. ACS NANO 2021; 15:5819-5837. [PMID: 33760579 PMCID: PMC8155333 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c08510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Proteins are the fundamental building blocks for high-performance materials in nature. Such materials fulfill structural roles, as in the case of silk and collagen, and can generate active structures including the cytoskeleton. Attention is increasingly turning to this versatile class of molecules for the synthesis of next-generation green functional materials for a range of applications. Protein nanofibrils are a fundamental supramolecular unit from which many macroscopic protein materials are formed. In this Review, we focus on the multiscale assembly of such protein nanofibrils formed from naturally occurring proteins into new supramolecular architectures and discuss how they can form the basis of material systems ranging from bulk gels, films, fibers, micro/nanogels, condensates, and active materials. We review current and emerging approaches to process and assemble these building blocks in a manner which is different to their natural evolutionarily selected role but allows the generation of tailored functionality, with a focus on microfluidic approaches. We finally discuss opportunities and challenges for this class of materials, including applications that can be involved in this material system which consists of fully natural, biocompatible, and biodegradable feedstocks yet has the potential to generate materials with performance and versatility rivalling that of the best synthetic polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Shen
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- School
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, 2006 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Aviad Levin
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Ayaka Kamada
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Zenon Toprakcioglu
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Marc Rodriguez-Garcia
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Xampla, the BioInnovation Building, 25 Cambridge
Science Park Road, Cambridge CB4 0FW, U.K.
| | - Yufan Xu
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Tuomas P. J. Knowles
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Cavendish
Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
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5
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Pinck S, Ostormujof LM, Teychené S, Erable B. Microfluidic Microbial Bioelectrochemical Systems: An Integrated Investigation Platform for a More Fundamental Understanding of Electroactive Bacterial Biofilms. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E1841. [PMID: 33238493 PMCID: PMC7700166 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8111841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
It is the ambition of many researchers to finally be able to close in on the fundamental, coupled phenomena that occur during the formation and expression of electrocatalytic activity in electroactive biofilms. It is because of this desire to understand that bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have been miniaturized into microBES by taking advantage of the worldwide development of microfluidics. Microfluidics tools applied to bioelectrochemistry permit even more fundamental studies of interactions and coupled phenomena occurring at the microscale, thanks, in particular, to the concomitant combination of electroanalysis, spectroscopic analytical techniques and real-time microscopy that is now possible. The analytical microsystem is therefore much better suited to the monitoring, not only of electroactive biofilm formation but also of the expression and disentangling of extracellular electron transfer (EET) catalytic mechanisms. This article reviews the details of the configurations of microfluidic BESs designed for selected objectives and their microfabrication techniques. Because the aim is to manipulate microvolumes and due to the high modularity of the experimental systems, the interfacial conditions between electrodes and electrolytes are perfectly controlled in terms of physicochemistry (pH, nutrients, chemical effectors, etc.) and hydrodynamics (shear, material transport, etc.). Most of the theoretical advances have been obtained thanks to work carried out using models of electroactive bacteria monocultures, mainly to simplify biological investigation systems. However, a huge virgin field of investigation still remains to be explored by taking advantage of the capacities of microfluidic BESs regarding the complexity and interactions of mixed electroactive biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Benjamin Erable
- Laboratoire de Génie Chimique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31432 Toulouse, France; (S.P.); (L.M.O.); (S.T.)
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6
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The Influent Effects of Flow Rate Profile on the Performance of Microbial Fuel Cells Model. ENERGIES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/en13184735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The energy contained in wastewaters has been identified as a promising sustainable energy resource that could be harvested by using microbial fuel cells (MFC). When dealing with real wastewaters, the MFCs should be able to manage high flow rates and flow rates fluctuations. In this work, the short-term effects of the influent flow rate variations on the performance of a microbial fuel cell has been studied. With this aim, the influent flow rate was stepwise increased from 0.72 to 7.2 L/d and then stepwise decreased. The obtained results indicate that, on the one hand, an increase in the influent flow rate leads to higher chemical oxygen demand removal rates up to 396 g/(L/d) and higher electric power generation almost 18 mW/m2, but to lower coulombic efficiencies. On the other hand, the reduction of the flow rate increases the coulombic efficiencies, as well as the percentage of chemical oxygen demand removed, but decreases electric power generation. In the short-term, the exposition to higher influent flow rates causes the growth of the microbial population of the MFC, the growth of the non-electrogenic microorganisms being higher than that of the electrogenic ones. The higher growth of non-electrogenic microorganisms may lead to lower coulombic efficiencies.
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7
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Şen-Doğan B, Okan M, Afşar-Erkal N, Özgür E, Zorlu Ö, Külah H. Enhancement of the Start-Up Time for Microliter-Scale Microbial Fuel Cells (µMFCs) via the Surface Modification of Gold Electrodes. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E703. [PMID: 32708083 PMCID: PMC7407754 DOI: 10.3390/mi11070703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are biological fuel cells based on the oxidation of fuels by electrogenic bacteria to generate an electric current in electrochemical cells. There are several methods that can be employed to improve their performance. In this study, the effects of gold surface modification with different thiol molecules were investigated for their implementation as anode electrodes in micro-scale MFCs (µMFCs). Several double-chamber µMFCs with 10.4 µL anode and cathode chambers were fabricated using silicon-microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication technology. µMFC systems assembled with modified gold anodes were operated under anaerobic conditions with the continuous feeding of anolyte and catholyte to compare the effect of different thiol molecules on the biofilm formation of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Performances were evaluated using polarization curves, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), and Scanning Electron Microcopy (SEM). The results showed that µMFCs modified with thiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) (cysteamine and 11-MUA) resulted in more than a 50% reduction in start-up times due to better bacterial attachment on the anode surface. Both 11-MUA and cysteamine modifications resulted in dense biofilms, as observed in SEM images. The power output was found to be similar in cysteamine-modified and bare gold µMFCs. The power and current densities obtained in this study were comparable to those reported in similar studies in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Begüm Şen-Doğan
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (B.Ş.-D.); (M.O.)
| | - Meltem Okan
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (B.Ş.-D.); (M.O.)
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
| | | | - Ebru Özgür
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
| | - Özge Zorlu
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
| | - Haluk Külah
- Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (B.Ş.-D.); (M.O.)
- METU MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey; (E.Ö.); (Ö.Z.)
- Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
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8
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Amirdehi MA, Khodaparastasgarabad N, Landari H, Zarabadi MP, Miled A, Greener J. A High‐Performance Membraneless Microfluidic Microbial Fuel Cell for Stable, Long‐Term Benchtop Operation Under Strong Flow. ChemElectroChem 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/celc.202000040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hamza Landari
- Département de Génie électrique Université Laval 1065, avenue de la médecine Québec G1 V 0 A6 Canada
| | - Mir Pouyan Zarabadi
- Département de Chimie Université Laval 1045 avenue de la médecine Québec G1 V 0 A6 Canada
| | - Amine Miled
- Département de Génie électrique Université Laval 1065, avenue de la médecine Québec G1 V 0 A6 Canada
| | - Jesse Greener
- Département de Chimie Université Laval 1045 avenue de la médecine Québec G1 V 0 A6 Canada
- CHU de Québec, centre de recherche Université Laval 10 rue de l'Espinay Québec, QC G1 L 3 L5 Canada
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9
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Pousti M, Zarabadi MP, Abbaszadeh Amirdehi M, Paquet-Mercier F, Greener J. Microfluidic bioanalytical flow cells for biofilm studies: a review. Analyst 2019; 144:68-86. [PMID: 30394455 DOI: 10.1039/c8an01526k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial biofilms are among the oldest and most prevalent multicellular life forms on Earth and are increasingly relevant in research areas related to industrial fouling, medicine and biotechnology. The main hurdles to obtaining definitive experimental results include time-varying biofilm properties, structural and chemical heterogeneity, and especially their strong sensitivity to environmental cues. Therefore, in addition to judicious choice of measurement tools, a well-designed biofilm study requires strict control over experimental conditions, more so than most chemical studies. Due to excellent control over a host of physiochemical parameters, microfluidic flow cells have become indispensable in microbiological studies. Not surprisingly, the number of lab-on-chip studies focusing on biofilms and other microbiological systems with expanded analytical capabilities has expanded rapidly in the past decade. In this paper, we comprehensively review the current state of microfluidic bioanalytical research applied to bacterial biofilms and offer a perspective on new approaches that are expected to drive continued advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Pousti
- Département de chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - Mir Pouyan Zarabadi
- Département de chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - Mehran Abbaszadeh Amirdehi
- Département de chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - François Paquet-Mercier
- Département de chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jesse Greener
- Département de chimie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada and CHU de Quebec Research Centre, Laval University, 10 rue de l'Espinay, Quebec City, (QC) G1L 3L5, Canada
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10
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Liu W, Yin L, Jin Q, Zhu Y, Zhao J, Zheng L, Zhou Z, Zhu B. Sensing performance of a self-powered electrochemical sensor for H2O2 detection based on microbial fuel cell. J Electroanal Chem (Lausanne) 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2018.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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11
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Luo X, Xie W, Wang R, Wu X, Yu L, Qiao Y. Fast Start-Up Microfluidic Microbial Fuel Cells With Serpentine Microchannel. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2816. [PMID: 30515148 PMCID: PMC6256063 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic microbial fuel cells (MMFCs) are promising green power sources for future ultra-small electronic devices. The MMFCs with co-laminar microfluidic structure are superior to other MMFCs according to their low internal resistance and relative high power density. However, the area for interfacial electron transfer between the bacteria and the anode is quite limited in the typical Y-shaped device, which apparently restricts the current generation performance. In this study, we developed a membraneless MMFC with serpentine microchannel to enhance the interfacial electron transfer and promote the power generation of the device. Owing to the merit of laminar flow, the proposed MMFC was working well without any proton exchange membrane (PEM). At the same time, the serpentine microchannel greatly increased the power density. The S-MMFC catalyzed by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 achieves a peak power density of 360 mW/m2 with the optimal channel configuration and the flow rate of 5 ml/h. Meanwhile, this device possesses much shorter start-up time and much longer duration time at high current plateau than the previous reported MMFCs. The presented MMFC appears promising for biochip technology and extends the scope of microfluidic energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Luo
- Faculty of Materials and Energy, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technologies of Clean Energies, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapid Diagnosis of Dread Disease, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wenyue Xie
- Faculty of Materials and Energy, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technologies of Clean Energies, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapid Diagnosis of Dread Disease, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ruijie Wang
- Faculty of Materials and Energy, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technologies of Clean Energies, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapid Diagnosis of Dread Disease, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaoshuai Wu
- Faculty of Materials and Energy, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technologies of Clean Energies, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapid Diagnosis of Dread Disease, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ling Yu
- Faculty of Materials and Energy, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technologies of Clean Energies, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapid Diagnosis of Dread Disease, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Qiao
- Faculty of Materials and Energy, Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Technologies of Clean Energies, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapid Diagnosis of Dread Disease, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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12
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Cheng WL, Erbay C, Sadr R, Han A. Dynamic Flow Characteristics and Design Principles of Laminar Flow Microbial Fuel Cells. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:mi9100479. [PMID: 30424412 PMCID: PMC6215165 DOI: 10.3390/mi9100479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Revised: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Laminar flow microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are used to understand the role of microorganisms, and their interactions with electrodes in microbial bioelectrochemical systems. In this study, we reported the flow characteristics of laminar flow in a typical MFC configuration in a non-dimensional form, which can serve as a guideline in the design of such microfluidic systems. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed to examine the effects of channel geometries, surface characteristics, and fluid velocity on the mixing dynamics in microchannels with a rectangular cross-section. The results showed that decreasing the fluid velocity enhances mixing but changing the angle between the inlet channels, only had strong effects when the angle was larger than 135°. Furthermore, different mixing behaviors were observed depending on the angle of the channels, when the microchannel aspect ratio was reduced. Asymmetric growth of microbial biofilm on the anode side skewed the mixing zone and wall roughness due to the bacterial attachment, which accelerated the mixing process and reduced the efficiency of the laminar flow MFC. Finally, the magnitude of mass diffusivity had a substantial effect on mixing behavior. The results shown here provided both design guidelines, as well as better understandings of the MFCs due to microbial growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Way Lee Cheng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Celal Erbay
- TUBITAK-Informatics and Information Security Research Center, Kocaeli 41470, Turkey.
| | - Reza Sadr
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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13
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Yazdi AA, D'Angelo L, Omer N, Windiasti G, Lu X, Xu J. Carbon nanotube modification of microbial fuel cell electrodes. Biosens Bioelectron 2016; 85:536-552. [PMID: 27213269 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for energy harvesting devices is preferable due to their unique mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. On the other hand, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising devices to recover carbon-neutral energy from the organic matters, and have been hindered with major setbacks towards commercialization. Nanoengineered CNT-based materials show remarkable electrochemical properties, and therefore have provided routes towards highly effective modification of MFC compartments to ultimately reach the theoretical limits of biomass energy recovery, low-cost power production, and thus the commercialization of MFCs. Moreover, these CNT-based composites offer significant flexibility in the design of MFCs that enable their use for a broad spectrum of applications ranging from scaled-up power generation to medically related devices. This article reviews the recent advances in the modification of MFCs using CNTs and CNT-based composites, and the extent to which each modification route impacts MFC power and current generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Ahmadian Yazdi
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lorenzo D'Angelo
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nada Omer
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gracia Windiasti
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Xiaonan Lu
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jie Xu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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14
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Microscale microbial fuel cells: Advances and challenges. Biosens Bioelectron 2015; 69:8-25. [PMID: 25703724 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2015.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Revised: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The next generation of sustainable energy could come from microorganisms; evidence that it can be seen with the given rise of Electromicrobiology, the study of microorganisms' electrical properties. Many recent advances in electromicrobiology stem from studying microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which are gaining acceptance as a future alternative "green" energy technology and energy-efficient wastewater treatment method. MFCs are powered by living microorganisms with clean and sustainable features; they efficiently catalyse the degradation of a broad range of organic substrates under natural conditions. There is also increasing interest in photosynthetic MFCs designed to harness Earth's most abundant and promising energy source (solar irradiation). Despite their vast potential and promise, however, MFCs and photosynthetic MFCs have not yet successfully translated into commercial applications because they demonstrate persistent performance limitations and bottlenecks associated with scaling up. Instead, microscale MFCs have received increasing attention as a unique platform for various applications such as powering small portable electronic elements in remote locations, performing fundamental studies of microorganisms, screening bacterial strains, and toxicity detection in water. Furthermore, the stacking of miniaturized MFCs has been demonstrated to offer larger power densities than a single macroscale MFC in terms of scaling up. In this overview, we discuss recent achievements in microscale MFCs as well as their potential applications. Further scientific and technological challenges are also reviewed.
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