Scalability and stacking of self-stratifying microbial fuel cells treating urine

Abstract

The scalability of Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is key to the development of stacks. A recent study has shown that self-stratifying membraneless MFCs (S-MFCs) could be scaled down to 2 cm without performance deterioration. However, the scaling-up limit of S-MFC is yet unknown. Here the study evaluates the scale-up height of S-MFCs treating urine, from 2 cm, 4 cm to 12 cm high electrodes. The electrochemical properties of the S-MFCs were investigated after steady-states were established, following a 70-days longevity study. The electrochemical properties of the 2 cm and 4 cm conditions were similar (5.45 ± 0.32 mW per cascade). Conversely, the 12 cm conditions had much lower power output (1.48 ± 0.15 mW). The biofilm on the 12 cm cathodes only developed on the upper 5-6 cm of the immersed part of the electrode suggesting that the cathodic reactions were the limiting factor. This hypothesis was confirmed by the cathode polarisations showing that the 12 cm S-MFC had low current density (1.64 ± 9.53 µA cm^-2, at 0 mV) compared to the other two conditions taht had similar current densities (192.73 ± 20.35 µA cm^-2, at 0 mV). These results indicate that S-MFC treating urine can only be scaled-up to an electrode height of around 5-6 cm before the performance is negatively affected.

Keywords: Microbial fuel cell; Power generation; Scaling-up; Self-stratification; Urine treatment.