High-Efficiency Degradation of Formaldehyde and Bioelectricity Generation by Microbial Fuel Cell

Formaldehyde is a common organic pollutant in water with teratogenic and carcinogenic effects. This study reports that 200 mg l-1 formaldehyde in water can be effectively degraded with generating electricity by using microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. A novel composite anode M-Co3O4-PEDOT-GF was prepared by modifying Co3O4 nanoparticles (M-Co3O4) derived from ZIF-67 and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) on the surface of Graphite felt (GF). The results showed that the MFC loading M-Co3O4-PEDOT-GF anode exhibited excellent electricity generation performance and formaldehyde degradation. The maximum voltage of the MFC was 549 mV, 46.0% increase than that of GF anode (376 mV), and higher than N-Co3O4-PEDOT-GF anode (488 mV) modified with commercial Co3O4 (N-Co3O4). The maximum power density of the MFC loading composite anode was 4177 mW m-2, while that of MFC loading bare GF anode was 1562 mW m-2. The dominant microorganisms were Pseudomonadales and Rhizobiales at the order level. The removal efficiency of formaldehyde by MFC loading M-Co3O4-PEDOT-GF anode was 89.2% in 152 h. The high efficiency of formaldehyde degradation was still maintained after 10 cycles. The results could be attributed to the composite anode with loose porous three-dimensional structure and good biological compatibility of PEDOT. A kind of novel composite anode M-Co3O4-PEDOT-GF was prepared.The maximum voltage of the MFC loading composite anode was 549 mV.The removal efficiency of formaldehyde by MFC was 89.2% in 152 h.The dominate bacteria were Pseudomonadales and Rhizobiales at the order level.

Automated summary

Formaldehyde in water can be effectively degraded and electricity can be generated using microbial fuel cell technology. A novel composite anode M-Co3O4-PEDOT-GF exhibited excellent electricity generation performance and formaldehyde degradation. Pseudomonadales and Rhizobiales were the dominant microorganisms.