Effect of anodic pH microenvironment on microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance in concurrence with aerated and ferricyanide catholytes

The performance of dual chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC, Nafion 117, non-catalyzed graphite electrodes) in concurrence with anodic pH microenvironment was evaluated based on bioelectricity generation and wastewater treatment efficiency. Experiments were carried out at different anodic pH microenvironments (acidophilic (6), neutral (7) and alkaline (8)) using both aerated and ferricyanide catholytes with mixed consortia as anodic biocatalyst employing chemical wastewater. Acidophilic pH in anodic chamber showed effective performance with respect to power output compared to the corresponding neutral and alkaline operations. However, substrate degradation was observed to be higher at neutral condition followed by alkaline and acidophilic operations. Ferricyanide as catholyte showed positive influence on the power output parameters compared to aerated catholyte. Nature of the catholyte did not show any visible influence on the wastewater treatment efficiency. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.