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KMID : 1234420120400040414
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Korean Journal of Microbiololgy and Biotechnology
2012 Volume.40 No. 4 p.414 ~ p.418
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Use of Nitrate and Ferric Ion as Electron Acceptors in Cathodes to Improve Current Generation in Single-cathode and Dual-cathode Microbial Fuel Cells
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Jang Jae-Kyung
Ryou Young-Sun
Kim Jong-Goo
Kang Youn-Koo
Lee Eun-Young
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Abstract
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The quantity of research on microbial fuel cells has been rapidly increasing. Microbial fuel cells are unique in their ability to utilize microorganisms and to generate electricity from sewage, pig excrement, and other wastewaters which include organic matter. This system can directly produce electrical energy without an inefficient energy conversion step. However, with MFCs maximum power production is limited by several factors such as activation losses, ohmic losses, and mass transfer losses in cathodes. Therefore, electron acceptors such as nitrate and ferric ion in the cathodes were utilized to improve the cathode reaction rate because the cathode reaction is very important for electricity production. When 100 mM nitrate as an electron acceptor was fed into cathodes, the current in single- cathode and dual-cathode MFCs was noted as 3.24±0.06 mA and 4.41±0.08 mA, respectively. These values were similar to when air-saturated water was fed into the cathodes. One hundred mM nitrate as an electron acceptor in the cathode compartments did not affect an increase in current generation. However, when ferric ion was used as an electron acceptor the current increased by 6.90±0.36 mA and 6.67±0.33 mA, in the singlecathode and dual-cathode microbial fuel cells, respectively. These values, in single-cathode and dual-cathode microbial fuel cells, represent an increase of 67.1% and 17.6%, respectively. Furthermore, when supplied with ferric ion without air, the current was higher than that of only air-saturated water. In this study, we attempted to reveal an inexpensive and readily available electron acceptor which can replace platinum in cathodes to improve current generation by increasing the cathode reaction rate.
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KEYWORD
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Microbial fuel cell, electricity generation, ferric ion, electron acceptor, dual-cathode, single-cathode
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