Intermittent load implementation in microbial fuel cells improves power performance
Intermittent load implementation in microbial fuel cells improves power performance
This study reports on the response of small-scale MFCs to intermittent loading, in terms of power output over time. The aim was to understand the evolution with time of power output under different duty cycles, in conditions close to practical implementation. Inexpensive ceramic membranes were compared to cation exchange membranes, under continuous flow and with a pre-digester connected. Results show that at the minute-scale, all the duty cycles investigated, produced 78% higher power bursts from the MFCs (500 μW) than when under continuous loading (280 μW). These results were recorded from MFCs employing ceramic membranes, whereas the difference in performance for MFCs employing commercially available cation-exchange-membranes was insignificant. When normalising to daily energy production, only specific duty cycles produced more power than continuous loading. Furthermore, the introduction of a pre-digester increased the MFC power outputs 10-fold, thus confirming that separating fermentation from electro-active respiration, significantly enhances the system performance.
Ceramic microbial fuel cells, Cation exchange membrane, Pre-digester, Continuous flow, Intermittent loading
365-372
Walter, X. A.
67c83b61-76af-4e37-aec8-79ebc723b807
Greenman, J.
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, I. A.
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
November 2014
Walter, X. A.
67c83b61-76af-4e37-aec8-79ebc723b807
Greenman, J.
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, I. A.
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Walter, X. A., Greenman, J. and Ieropoulos, I. A.
(2014)
Intermittent load implementation in microbial fuel cells improves power performance.
Bioresource Technology, 172, .
(doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2014.09.034).
Abstract
This study reports on the response of small-scale MFCs to intermittent loading, in terms of power output over time. The aim was to understand the evolution with time of power output under different duty cycles, in conditions close to practical implementation. Inexpensive ceramic membranes were compared to cation exchange membranes, under continuous flow and with a pre-digester connected. Results show that at the minute-scale, all the duty cycles investigated, produced 78% higher power bursts from the MFCs (500 μW) than when under continuous loading (280 μW). These results were recorded from MFCs employing ceramic membranes, whereas the difference in performance for MFCs employing commercially available cation-exchange-membranes was insignificant. When normalising to daily energy production, only specific duty cycles produced more power than continuous loading. Furthermore, the introduction of a pre-digester increased the MFC power outputs 10-fold, thus confirming that separating fermentation from electro-active respiration, significantly enhances the system performance.
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Accepted/In Press date: 6 September 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 September 2014
Published date: November 2014
Keywords:
Ceramic microbial fuel cells, Cation exchange membrane, Pre-digester, Continuous flow, Intermittent loading
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 454595
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454595
ISSN: 0960-8524
PURE UUID: 0a86d759-8a62-4c6a-96bc-298f9652e037
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Date deposited: 17 Feb 2022 17:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:10
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Author:
X. A. Walter
Author:
J. Greenman
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