A small-scale air-cathode microbial fuel cell for on-line monitoring of water quality

Di Lorenzo, Mirella, Thomson, Alexander R., Schneider, Kenneth, Cameron, Petra J. and Ieropoulos, Ioannis (2014) A small-scale air-cathode microbial fuel cell for on-line monitoring of water quality. Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 62, 182-188. (doi:10.1016/j.bios.2014.06.050).

Abstract

The heavy use of chemicals for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes has increased the risk of freshwater contamination worldwide. Consequently, the demand for efficient new analytical tools for on-line and on-site water quality monitoring has become particularly urgent.In this study, a small-scale single chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell (SCMFC), fabricated by rapid prototyping layer-by-layer 3D printing, was tested as a biosensor for continuous water quality monitoring.When acetate was fed as the rate-limiting substrate, the SCMFC acted as a sensor for chemical oxygen demand (COD) in water. The linear detection range was 3–164 ppm, with a sensitivity of 0.05 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² with respect to the anode total surface area. The response time was as fast as 2.8 min.At saturating acetate concentrations (COD>164 ppm), the miniature SCMFC could rapidly detect the presence of cadmium in water with high sensitivity (0.2 μg l⁻¹ cm⁻²) and a lower detection limit of only 1 μg l⁻¹. The biosensor dynamic range was 1–25 μg l⁻¹. Within this range of concentrations, cadmium affected only temporarily the electroactive biofilm at the anode. When the SCMFCs were again fed with fresh wastewater and no pollutant, the initial steady-state current was recovered within 12 min.

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Contributors

Author: Ioannis Ieropoulos

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