Design and Performance of a Single-Chamber Membraneless Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell for Bioenergy Generation

This study investigated the potential for bioenergy generation of a single-chamber, membrane-less SMFCs which used different types of electrode materials and sediment-rich brackish water as substrate. A multi-factor experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD). Stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium mesh were used as electrodes. On a fed-batch mode, the chambers were loaded with different amounts of sediment 25, 50, and 75 percent per volume of the chamber. Constant external loads of 100Ω, 200Ω, 300Ω were also applied. Each treatment was observed for 24 hours in duplicates. Significant findings showed that the performance of the SMFCs varied. Titanium electrode worked best in terms of open and close circuit voltage, current, power density, and bioenergy generation potential at various external resistance loadings and composition of the substrates. The SMFC yield a more stable OCV at 4452.6 mV, peak closed circuit voltage of 62.12 mV, current of 0.285 mA, power density of 0.340±0.04 mAcm-2, and bioenergy generation potential 1193.7 kJ.