Effect of pre-treatment and biofouling of proton exchange membrane on microbial fuel cell performance

Nafion (R) 117, as the most popular proton exchange membrane, has been studied with regards to the effect of pre-treatment and biofouling for bioelectricity production and wastewater treatment, in dual chamber microbial fuel cells. The obtained results showed that maximum generated power was obtained using pre-treated Nafion (R) 117, at approximately 100 mW/m(2). However, maximum generated power for untreated Nafion (R) 117 and biofouled Nafion (R) 117 were 52.8 mW/m(2) and 20.9 mW/m(2), respectively. Furthermore, the columbic efficiency of pre-treated Nafion (R) 117 was 2.32 and 4.15 times higher than untreated and biofouled Nafion (R) 117, respectively. Obtained results demonstrated that the pre-treatment of the proton exchange membrane is necessary to reach higher powers, and biofouling is a major obstacle for proton exchange membranes in dual chamber MFCs. Crown Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.