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Planar co‐laminar flow microbial fuel cell with flow‐through porous electrodes
Author(s) -
Choi Taeseong,
Park Noh Nyun,
Ahn Yoomin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.6709
Subject(s) - microbial fuel cell , materials science , electrolyte , power density , anode , electrode , microscale chemistry , microfluidics , laminar flow , proton exchange membrane fuel cell , volumetric flow rate , internal resistance , chemical engineering , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , battery (electricity) , nanotechnology , fuel cells , chromatography , power (physics) , mechanics , thermodynamics , physics , engineering , mathematics education , mathematics
Summary Co‐laminar flow microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with flow‐through electrodes are proposed to improve the power density. Carbon paper was used for the porous electrodes and the membrane‐less MFCs containing a microscale (5.4 μL) anode chamber were microfabricated in a planar monolithic cell for integration with microfluidic devices. The diffusion region between the electrolytes was numerically analyzed and fuel cell performance experiments were conducted with a wastewater inoculum‐based mixed culture biofilm. The effects of the electrolyte flow rate (1‐30 μL min −1 ) and electrode width (0.5‐2.0 mm) on the fuel cell performance were investigated. The power density was maximized at 692 ± 34 W m −3 under optimal conditions including a 10 μL min −1 flow rate and 1.5 mm electrode width, resulting in suitable biofilm formation and low internal resistance. This study provides valuable information for the commercialization of microfluidic MFCs as a power source for portable medical and electronic instruments.