Investigation of ceramic MFC stacks for urine energy extraction
Investigation of ceramic MFC stacks for urine energy extraction
Two ceramic stacks, terracotta (t-stack) and mullite (m-stack), were developed to produce energy when fed with neat undiluted urine. Each stack consisted of twelve identical microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which were arranged in cascades and tested under different electrical configurations. Despite voltage reversal, the m-stack produced a maximum power of 800 μW whereas the t-stack produced a maximum of 520 μW after 62.6 h of operation. Moreover, during the operation, both systems were subject to blockage possibly due to struvite. To the Authors' best knowledge, this is the first time that such a phenomenon in ceramic MFC membranes is shown to be the direct result of sub-optimal performance, which confirms the hypothesis that ceramic membranes can continue operating long-term, if the MFCs produce maximum power (high rate of e− transfer). Furthermore, it is shown that once the ceramic membrane is blocked, it may prove difficult to recover in-situ.
MFC, Stack, Voltage reversal, Ceramic, Urine
19-25
Tremouli, Asimina
abf22981-9600-437c-9e33-70be45061b58
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
October 2018
Tremouli, Asimina
abf22981-9600-437c-9e33-70be45061b58
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Ieropoulos, Ioannis
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Tremouli, Asimina, Greenman, John and Ieropoulos, Ioannis
(2018)
Investigation of ceramic MFC stacks for urine energy extraction.
Bioelectrochemistry, 123, .
(doi:10.1016/j.bioelechem.2018.03.010).
Abstract
Two ceramic stacks, terracotta (t-stack) and mullite (m-stack), were developed to produce energy when fed with neat undiluted urine. Each stack consisted of twelve identical microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which were arranged in cascades and tested under different electrical configurations. Despite voltage reversal, the m-stack produced a maximum power of 800 μW whereas the t-stack produced a maximum of 520 μW after 62.6 h of operation. Moreover, during the operation, both systems were subject to blockage possibly due to struvite. To the Authors' best knowledge, this is the first time that such a phenomenon in ceramic MFC membranes is shown to be the direct result of sub-optimal performance, which confirms the hypothesis that ceramic membranes can continue operating long-term, if the MFCs produce maximum power (high rate of e− transfer). Furthermore, it is shown that once the ceramic membrane is blocked, it may prove difficult to recover in-situ.
Text
1-s2.0-S1567539417306229-main
- Version of Record
More information
Published date: October 2018
Keywords:
MFC, Stack, Voltage reversal, Ceramic, Urine
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 456229
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/456229
ISSN: 1567-5394
PURE UUID: d8694d40-5ffe-4b75-afbb-941412b7fe64
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 26 Apr 2022 19:10
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:10
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Asimina Tremouli
Author:
John Greenman
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
