The development of rechargeable zinc–air batteries is hindered by the low energy- conversion efficiency and short cycle life, which are partly due to the unsatisfactory performance oxygen electrocatalysts on air-cathode. The low catalysts partially complexity gas- involving multiphase interface required for cataly sis reactions, it is often acquired only a fraction loaded catalyst that in ...

In order to apply microbial fuel cell (MFC) process more practically in wastewater treatment, both power generation and removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) were examined in an air-cathode MFC fed with domestic wastewater under continuous operation. At a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2.0 h, the air-cathode MFC was able to generate electricity from domestic wastewater with a maximum power...

A new and simplified approach for making cathodes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was developed by using metal mesh current collectors and inexpensive polymer/carbon diffusion layers (DLs). Rather than adding a current collector to a cathode material such as carbon cloth, we constructed the cathode around the metal mesh itself, thereby avoiding the need for the carbon cloth or other supporting ...

One of the key goals of enzymatic biofuel cells research has been the development of a fully enzymatic biofuel cell that operates under a continuous flow-through regime. Here, we present our work on achieving this task. Two NAD(+)-dependent dehydrogenase enzymes; malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) were independently coupled with poly-methylene green (poly-MG) catalyst fo...

A shorter start-up time and highly negative anode potentials are needed to improve single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Using a glass fiber separator reduced the start-up time from 10d to 8d at 20°C, and from 4d to 2d at 30°C, and enhanced coulombic efficiency (CE) from <60% to 89% (20°C) and 87% (30°C). Separators also reduced anode potentials by 20-190mV, charge transfer re...

In this paper, a non-isothermal two-phase flow in the cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL) of PEM fuel cell is modeled. The governing equations including energy, mass and momentum conservation equations are solved by numerical methods. Also, the optimal values of the effective parameters such as the electrodes porosity, gas diffusion layer (GDL) thickness and inlet relative humidity are calculated...

This paper presents a computational model of a single chamber, air-cathode MFC. The model considers losses due to mass transport, as well as biological and electrochemical reactions, in both the anode and cathode half-cells. Computational fluid dynamics and Monod-Nernst analysis are incorporated into the reactions for the anode biofilm and cathode Pt catalyst and biofilm. The integrated model p...

Enzyme-based biofuel cells (EBFCs) are systems that use a variety of organic compounds to produce electricity through oxido-reductase enzymes, such as oxidase or dehydrogenase as biocatalysts immobilized on electrodes. In this study, a single-chamber EBFC consisting of carbon electrodes that operating at ambient temperature in phosphate buffer, pH 7 is reported. The EBFC anode was based on gluc...

Power density, electrode potential, coulombic efficiency, and energy recovery in single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were examined as a function of solution ionic strength, electrode spacing and composition, and temperature. Increasing the solution ionic strength from 100 to 400 mM by adding NaCl increased power output from 720 to 1330 mW/m2. Power generation was also increased from 720 ...