Effect of catholyte flow rate on the performance of two sediment microbial fuel cells in an open channel

Abstract

Application of Microbial fuel cell technology to treat contaminated water and produce bio-renewable energy has been increased during the last decade and the lack of fossil fuel resources, global warming and environmental pollution have promoted the position of this bio-resource in research areas. Sediment microbial fuel cell is an electrochemical system that treats the contaminants in the sediments in addition to producing electricity, using bacterial interactions in sediment. Knowledge of the structure and factors affecting the performance of sediment microbial fuel cells can play an effective role in utilization of these systems. In this study, the effect of water flow rate on electricity generation in two sediment microbial fuel cells in an open channel was investigated. The first sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC-1) produced a stable voltage of 127.99, 130.81, 134.59, 137.57 and 141.96 mV at rates of 0, 20, 48, 60 and 80 lit.hr-1, respectively. Also, the second sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC-2) reached a stable voltage of 112.06, 124.90, 130.23, 132.82, and 136.20 mV, respectively. The results of these studies showed that higher voltages would be generated at higher catholyte flow rates in the channel.