In this work, the mechanisms of energy loss in parallel connection of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is explored using two MFC units producing different open circuit voltage (OCV) and current. In open circuit mode, non-Faradaic current flows in low OCV unit, implying energy loss caused by different OCVs in parallelly stacked MFCs. In a stacked MFC in parallel under close circuit mode, it is confir...

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...

Renewable energy is an increasing need in our society. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a new method for treating wastewater and simultaneously producing electricity. In the present study, we demonstrated the feasibility of bioelectricity generation from brewery wastewater treatment using a mediator less MFC at different pH. We also demonstrated that addition of readily utilizable substrat...

Landfill leachate emerges as a promising feedstock for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In the present investigation, direct airbreathing cathode-based MFCs are fabricated to investigate the potential of landfill leachate. Three MFCs that have different cathode areas are fabricated and investigated for 17 days under open circuit conditions. The maximum open circuit voltage (OCV) is observed to be a...

Most bacteria known to be electrochemically active have been harvested in the anodic compartments of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and are able to use electrodes as electron acceptors. The reverse phenomenon, i.e. using solid electrodes as electron donors, is not so widely studied. To our knowledge, most of the electrochemically active bacteria are Gram-negative. The present study implements a tr...

In Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), a mass transfer impact might be larger than expected because it not only effects the mass transfer losses (substrate flux [1, 2] and removal of waste [2]), but also effects the activation losses (mediator [3-5]) and the ohmic losses (proton transfer [6]). However, the convection/diffusion of the reactant transport from the bulk (reactant transport), which can be ...

This paper discusses the fundamentals and developments of miniaturized fuel cells, both biological and electrochemical. An overview of microfluidic fuel cells, miniaturized microbial fuel cells, enzymatic biofuel cells, and implanted biofuel cells in an attempt to provide green energy and to power implanted microdevices is provided. Also, the challenges and applications of each type of fuel cel...

Efficient treatment of domestic wastewater under continuous flow conditions using microbial fuel cells (MFCs) requires hydraulic retention times (HRTs) that are similar to or less than those of conventional methods such as activated sludge. Two MFCs in series were compared at theoretical HRTs of 8.8, 4.4 and 2.2 h using two different brush-electrode MFC configurations: a full brush evenly space...