A novel microbial fuel cell stack for continuous production of clean energy M. Rahimnejad a , A.A. Ghoreyshi a, *, G.D. Najafpour a , H. Younesi b , M. Shakeri c a Biotechnology Research Lab., Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Noshirvani University, Babol, Iran b Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran c Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Noshirvani University, Babol, Iran article info Article history: Received 8 November 2011 Received in revised form 25 December 2011 Accepted 28 December 2011 Available online 28 January 2012 Keywords: Microbial fuel cell Stack Columbic efficiency Electricity generation Saccharomyces cerevisiae abstract Production of sustainable and clean energy through oxidation of biodegradable materials was carried out in a novel stack of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an active biocatalyst was used for power generation. The novel stack of MFCs consist of four units was fabricated and operated in continuous mode. Pure glucose as substrate was used with concentration of 30 g l 1 along with 200 mmol l 1 of natural red (NR) as a mediator in the anode and 400 mmol l 1 of potassium permanganate as oxidizing agent in the cathode. Polarimetry technique was employed to analyze the single cell as well as stack electrical performance. Performance of the MFCs stack was evaluated with respect to amount of electricity generation. Maximum current and power generation in the stack of MFC were 6447 mA.m 2 and 2003 mW.m 2 , respectively. Columbic efficiency of 22 percent was achieved at parallel connection. At the end of process, image of the outer surface of graphite electrode was taken by Atomic Force Microscope at magnification of 5000. The high electrical performance of MFCs was attributed to the uniform growth of microor- ganism on the graphite surface which was confirmed by the obtained images. Copyright ª 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Consumption of fossil fuels has created serious threats for human being, such as global warming and environment pollution. In addition, proven reserves of fossil fuels are finite and world may be faced with serious shortage of energy in a near future. These crucial issues have encouraged researchers to seek alternatives for conventional fossil fuels [1,2]. Fuel cells are known as renewable and environmental- friendly sources of energy [3]. Fuel cells are electrochemical engines that convert directly the chemical energy existing in the chemical bonds into electricity [4]. Biological fuel cells (BFCs) are a subset of fuel cells which employ active bio- catalysts for production of bioelectricity instead of expensive metal catalysts used in conventional fuel cells such as proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The main types of BFCs are defined by the biocatalyst used in anode compart- ment. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) employ living cells for oxidation of organic substrate, whereas enzymatic fuel cells use active enzymes for the same purposes [5,6]. MFCs have been considered as new alternatives to conventional batteries for electricity generation in power sources [7]. The main advantage of MFCs is that they typically have long lifetimes (up to five years) [8,9]. MFCs are capable to oxidize * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ98 111 323 4204; fax: þ98 111 321 0975. E-mail address: [email protected](A.A. Ghoreyshi). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he international journal of hydrogen energy 37 (2012) 5992 e6000 0360-3199/$ e see front matter Copyright ª 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.12.154
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A novel microbial fuel cell stack for continuous productionof clean energy
M. Rahimnejad a, A.A. Ghoreyshi a,*, G.D. Najafpour a, H. Younesi b, M. Shakeri c
aBiotechnology Research Lab., Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Noshirvani University, Babol, IranbDepartment of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iranc Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Noshirvani University, Babol, Iran
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