Assessment of the effects of flow rate and ionic strength on the performance of an air-cathode microbial fuel cell using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Doug Aaron; Costas Tsouris; Choo Y. Hamilton; Abhijeet P. Borole

doi:10.3390/en3040592

Assessment of the effects of flow rate and ionic strength on the performance of an air-cathode microbial fuel cell using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Doug Aaron, Costas Tsouris, Choo Y. Hamilton, Abhijeet P. Borole

Chemical Process Scale Up

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

Impedance changes of the anode, cathode and solution were examined for an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) under varying conditions. An MFC inoculated with a pre-enriched microbial culture resulted in a startup time of less than ten days. Over this period, the anode impedance decreased below the cathode impedance, suggesting a cathode-limited power output. Increasing the anode flow rate did not impact the anode impedance significantly, but it decreased the cathode impedance by 65%. Increasing the anode-medium ionic strength also decreased the cathode impedance. These impedance results provide insight into electron and proton transport mechanisms and can be used to improve MFC performance.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	592-606
Number of pages	15
Journal	Energies
Volume	3
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/en3040592
State	Published - Apr 2010

Keywords

Anode impedance
Biofuel cell
Capacitance
Electrogenic
Internal resistances

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10.3390/en3040592

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title = "Assessment of the effects of flow rate and ionic strength on the performance of an air-cathode microbial fuel cell using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy",

abstract = "Impedance changes of the anode, cathode and solution were examined for an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) under varying conditions. An MFC inoculated with a pre-enriched microbial culture resulted in a startup time of less than ten days. Over this period, the anode impedance decreased below the cathode impedance, suggesting a cathode-limited power output. Increasing the anode flow rate did not impact the anode impedance significantly, but it decreased the cathode impedance by 65\%. Increasing the anode-medium ionic strength also decreased the cathode impedance. These impedance results provide insight into electron and proton transport mechanisms and can be used to improve MFC performance.",

keywords = "Anode impedance, Biofuel cell, Capacitance, Electrogenic, Internal resistances",

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AU - Aaron, Doug

AU - Tsouris, Costas

AU - Hamilton, Choo Y.

AU - Borole, Abhijeet P.

PY - 2010/4

Y1 - 2010/4

N2 - Impedance changes of the anode, cathode and solution were examined for an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) under varying conditions. An MFC inoculated with a pre-enriched microbial culture resulted in a startup time of less than ten days. Over this period, the anode impedance decreased below the cathode impedance, suggesting a cathode-limited power output. Increasing the anode flow rate did not impact the anode impedance significantly, but it decreased the cathode impedance by 65%. Increasing the anode-medium ionic strength also decreased the cathode impedance. These impedance results provide insight into electron and proton transport mechanisms and can be used to improve MFC performance.

AB - Impedance changes of the anode, cathode and solution were examined for an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) under varying conditions. An MFC inoculated with a pre-enriched microbial culture resulted in a startup time of less than ten days. Over this period, the anode impedance decreased below the cathode impedance, suggesting a cathode-limited power output. Increasing the anode flow rate did not impact the anode impedance significantly, but it decreased the cathode impedance by 65%. Increasing the anode-medium ionic strength also decreased the cathode impedance. These impedance results provide insight into electron and proton transport mechanisms and can be used to improve MFC performance.

KW - Anode impedance

KW - Biofuel cell

KW - Capacitance

KW - Electrogenic

KW - Internal resistances

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/77952043068

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DO - 10.3390/en3040592

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:77952043068

SN - 1996-1073

VL - 3

SP - 592

EP - 606

JO - Energies

JF - Energies

IS - 4

ER -

Assessment of the effects of flow rate and ionic strength on the performance of an air-cathode microbial fuel cell using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

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Keywords

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