The publications are copyrighted by the respective organizations. Reproduction of any material contained in these publications requires explicit permission by the publisher.
Zhang, Fang, Cheng, Shaoan, Pant, Deepak, Van Bogaert, Gilbert and Logan, Bruce E. (2009), "Power generation using an activated carbon and metal mesh cathode in a microbial fuel cell", Electrochemistry Communications, 11: 2177-2179, VITO.
Abstract: An inexpensive activated carbon (AC) air cathode was developed as an alternative to a platinum-catalyzed electrode for oxygen reduction in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). AC was cold-pressed with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder to form the cathode around a Ni mesh current collector. This cathode construction avoided the need for carbon cloth or a metal catalyst, and produced a cathode with high activity for oxygen reduction at typical MFC current densities. Tests with the AC cathode produced a maximum
power density of 1220 mW/m2 (normalized to cathode projected surface area; 36 W/m3 based on liquid volume) compared to 1060 mW/m2 obtained by Pt catalyzed carbon cloth cathode. The Coulombic
efficiency ranged from 15% to 55%. These findings show that AC is a cost-effective material for achieving useful rates of oxygen reduction in air cathode MFCs.
Keywords: Microbial fuel cell, Activated carbon, Metal mesh, Cathode
Webpage Link
Electronic Paper Link