Gas diffusion electrodes modified with binary doped polyaniline for enhanced CO2 conversion during microbial electrosynthesis

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is a promising technology to convert CO2 into value-added chemicals. Enhancing the interactions between biofilms and electrodes key of bioelectrochemical systems (BES). In this work, we studied conversion by MES in reactors equipped with novel gas diffusion (GDEs) modified polyaniline (PANI) polymer binary doped H2SO4 ammonium lauryl sulfate. The enhanced conductive hydrophilic properties increased biocompatibility PANI-modified GDEs compared non-modified carbon GDEs. This resulted faster start-up higher bioproduction volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetate butyrate. Up 4400 ppm was produced after 24 days operation, 408 A maximum concentration 7500 (production rate 554.8 ± 267.5 day−1) reached PANI-GDEs. After 60 days, apart from acetate, 245 butyrate PANI, while less than SEM analysis revealed development on both electrodes, but images also suggest differences compositions.