Towards effective small scale microbial fuel cells for energy generation from urine
Towards effective small scale microbial fuel cells for energy generation from urine
To resolve an increasing global demand in energy, a source of sustainable and environmentally friendly energy is needed. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) hold great potential as a sustainable and green bioenergy conversion technology that uses waste as the feedstock. This work pursues the development of an effective small-scale MFC for energy generation from urine. An innovative air-cathode miniature MFC was developed, and the effect of electrode length was investigated. Two different biomass derived catalysts were also studied. Doubling the electrode length resulted in the power density increasing by one order of magnitude (from 0.053 to 0.580 W m−3). When three devices were electrically connected in parallel, the power output was over 10 times higher compared to individual units. The use of biomass-derived oxygen reduction reaction catalysts at the cathode increased the power density generated by the MFC up to 1.95 W m−3, thus demonstrating the value of sustainable catalysts for cathodic reactions in MFCs.
Microbial Fuel Cell, Urine, Biochar, Bioenergy
89-98
Chouler, Jon
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Padgett, George A.
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Cameron, Petra J.
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Preuss, Kathrin
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Titirici, Maria-Magdalena
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Ieropoulos, Ioannis
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Di Lorenzo, Mirella
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20 February 2016
Chouler, Jon
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Padgett, George A.
87066c5f-07a3-44f7-9573-539bdd136cb8
Cameron, Petra J.
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Preuss, Kathrin
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Titirici, Maria-Magdalena
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Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Di Lorenzo, Mirella
3c2ff604-c49d-48af-9159-149fecb521a1
Chouler, Jon, Padgett, George A., Cameron, Petra J., Preuss, Kathrin, Titirici, Maria-Magdalena, Ieropoulos, Ioannis and Di Lorenzo, Mirella
(2016)
Towards effective small scale microbial fuel cells for energy generation from urine.
Electrochimica Acta, 192, .
(doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2016.01.112).
Abstract
To resolve an increasing global demand in energy, a source of sustainable and environmentally friendly energy is needed. Microbial fuel cells (MFC) hold great potential as a sustainable and green bioenergy conversion technology that uses waste as the feedstock. This work pursues the development of an effective small-scale MFC for energy generation from urine. An innovative air-cathode miniature MFC was developed, and the effect of electrode length was investigated. Two different biomass derived catalysts were also studied. Doubling the electrode length resulted in the power density increasing by one order of magnitude (from 0.053 to 0.580 W m−3). When three devices were electrically connected in parallel, the power output was over 10 times higher compared to individual units. The use of biomass-derived oxygen reduction reaction catalysts at the cathode increased the power density generated by the MFC up to 1.95 W m−3, thus demonstrating the value of sustainable catalysts for cathodic reactions in MFCs.
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Published date: 20 February 2016
Keywords:
Microbial Fuel Cell, Urine, Biochar, Bioenergy
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Local EPrints ID: 454061
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454061
ISSN: 0013-4686
PURE UUID: ee08a322-d0de-467d-9376-f1170121ab0f
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Date deposited: 27 Jan 2022 19:23
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:10
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Contributors
Author:
Jon Chouler
Author:
George A. Padgett
Author:
Petra J. Cameron
Author:
Kathrin Preuss
Author:
Maria-Magdalena Titirici
Author:
Mirella Di Lorenzo
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