Previously, the PI's have presented the development of a hybrid lactate/air biofuel cell using a microbial anode with Shewanella MR1 integrated into a chitosan-CNT porous matrix and a DET-based laccase air-breathing cathode. In this presentation that anode has been scaled up and integrated into a membrane-less, flow through microbial fuel cell (MFC) utilizing a graphite felt cathode fed effluent from anaerobic digesters. The MFC was fabricated with an upflow design which allows the effluent of the anaerobic digester to flow upward through a macroporous chitosan/carbon nanotube anode material which has been previously shown to perform well as a MFC anode. Preliminary results are promising, with anode OCPs around -400 mV and short circuit currents of 3 mA. A full characterization of cell performance will be presented, including full cell and individual polarization curves, long term current generation data, as well as COD reduction across the MFC.

Engineering approaches to long-term microbial fuel cell (MFC) operation when fed anaerobic digestion effluent

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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