Current generation in membraneless single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) treating urine
Current generation in membraneless single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) treating urine
This study investigated a novel treatment process for human urine in membraneless single-chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs). The performances of SCMFCs with Pt-based or Pt-free cathode were tested for over 1000 hours of operation. The pH of the anodic solution increased from 5.4–6.4 to 9.0 due to the urea hydrolysis, which consequently decreased the anodic performance even though the cathode was not affected, indicating that the MFCs were anode-limited. The solution conductivity increased up to 3 times the initial value. The initial current generated by the Pt-free cathodes SCMFCs was 0.13–0.15 mA, and stabilized at 0.1 mA. The Pt-based cathode SCMFC decreased from 0.18–0.23 mA to 0.13 mA. This study showed that high pH caused by urea hydrolysis lowered the anodic reactions and the SCMFCs overall performance. The Pt-free cathode performance was comparable to that of Pt-based cathodes, thus offering a cost effective alternative for future developments.
Human urine, Microbial fuel cell, Membraneless, pH, Single electrode kinetic, Current generation
190-196
Santoro, Carlo
03549f6d-d57f-4d79-8bae-2d9271aa7371
Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Cristiani, Pierangela
3cb7a0bc-6dd3-4514-ad96-60dc3578ce80
Vadas, Timothy
0d919b98-61d4-4aaa-84e2-6df4a4634cfd
Mackay, Allison
5716b6cd-d4b7-4c58-8e44-f6a5650e56d3
Li, Baikun
12bb227e-24b7-4c2e-bc6f-c29200d0aa4a
15 September 2013
Santoro, Carlo
03549f6d-d57f-4d79-8bae-2d9271aa7371
Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Cristiani, Pierangela
3cb7a0bc-6dd3-4514-ad96-60dc3578ce80
Vadas, Timothy
0d919b98-61d4-4aaa-84e2-6df4a4634cfd
Mackay, Allison
5716b6cd-d4b7-4c58-8e44-f6a5650e56d3
Li, Baikun
12bb227e-24b7-4c2e-bc6f-c29200d0aa4a
Santoro, Carlo, Ieropoulos, Ioannis, Greenman, John, Cristiani, Pierangela, Vadas, Timothy, Mackay, Allison and Li, Baikun
(2013)
Current generation in membraneless single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) treating urine.
Journal of Power Sources, 238, .
(doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.03.095).
Abstract
This study investigated a novel treatment process for human urine in membraneless single-chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs). The performances of SCMFCs with Pt-based or Pt-free cathode were tested for over 1000 hours of operation. The pH of the anodic solution increased from 5.4–6.4 to 9.0 due to the urea hydrolysis, which consequently decreased the anodic performance even though the cathode was not affected, indicating that the MFCs were anode-limited. The solution conductivity increased up to 3 times the initial value. The initial current generated by the Pt-free cathodes SCMFCs was 0.13–0.15 mA, and stabilized at 0.1 mA. The Pt-based cathode SCMFC decreased from 0.18–0.23 mA to 0.13 mA. This study showed that high pH caused by urea hydrolysis lowered the anodic reactions and the SCMFCs overall performance. The Pt-free cathode performance was comparable to that of Pt-based cathodes, thus offering a cost effective alternative for future developments.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 7 March 2013
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 March 2013
Published date: 15 September 2013
Keywords:
Human urine, Microbial fuel cell, Membraneless, pH, Single electrode kinetic, Current generation
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 454674
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454674
ISSN: 0378-7753
PURE UUID: 68917344-9e17-458e-91de-f85768fae512
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Date deposited: 18 Feb 2022 17:43
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:10
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Contributors
Author:
Carlo Santoro
Author:
John Greenman
Author:
Pierangela Cristiani
Author:
Timothy Vadas
Author:
Allison Mackay
Author:
Baikun Li
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