Exploitation of moringa biomass to fabricate graphene electrode for electricity generation with wastewater treatment through microbial fuel cells

Abstract

Due to resource scarcity and habitat damage, fossil fuels—especially oil and gas—are unsustainable. Recently, scientists have investigated biotechnology and microbiology as solutions for carbon-free, renewable, and alternative energy sources. A modern study shows that bacteria degrade inorganic and organic wastewater pollutants. Since they clean wastewater and generate electricity, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the ideal response to the concerns listed earlier. MFCs struggle with electron transport issues due to a lack of anode performance. Thus, current research focuses on the production of anode from biomass waste with minimal effort. This work developed a graphene oxide (GO) electrode using local Moringa biomass powder and found that waste-derived GO yielded 175 mV in 16 days with a power density of 1.49 mW/m². The calculated internal resistance was 796 ῼ, while the external resistance was 1000 ῼ. It seems that electron transportation works effectively. Wastewater treatment is an additional focus for this work. Meanwhile, the inoculation source contains Pb and Hg. The removal efficiency was remarkable, such as Pb = 75.10% and Hg = 65%. Additionally, a thorough analysis of the mechanism and future prospects is also enclosed.